Iron Man: Risks and Consequences
by Shipperony10
Summary: Fury returns with a dangerous assignment for Tony that will lead him to meet one of his greatest challengers. Can Tony save the world yet again? And at what expense?
1. Chapter 1

**Iron Man: Risks and Consequences**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: The waiting is going to kill me. I swear to you guys that I am literally an anxious wreck. Iron Man 3 is promising to be AWESOME! Have you guys scene the latest suit? What do you all think about it? Unfortunately I did NOT go to Comic Con like I had hoped, but I have heard "rumors", and have seen set photos that have made me more anxious and excited. This is the product of that excitement. It is_**loosely**_based on what tidbits I have heard here and there. I did not point them out, so to the best of your knowledge…nothing is a spoiler, but in the end, if you'd rather wait and go in with a clear mind, do not read this. Most of it is all a product of my imagination. I warn you all that I am not too familiar with the comic arcs therefore I can and probably **will** be off on some details. Do not be insulted, I just never had the pleasure of growing up with the comics. This is promising to be a good lengthy story with comedy, action, and romance so stick around. Enjoy!

As always, sorry for any mistakes.

* * *

His face shield opened to reveal his pain-stricken eyes. He held onto his left side with his right arm. His ribs hurt, but nothing stung more than the tears in his eyes.

There had never been a moment in his life that threatened him with more emotions than he could handle. Until now. He inhaled deeply before walking cautiously over to where she rested on her knees, slightly doubled over.

"Tony." His name was but a whisper that escaped her parted lips. She looked up with red eyes as he towered over her in all of his Iron Man glory.

"Pepper." Tony had never been a man who cried openly or wore his emotions on his sleeve, but nearly losing each other had unsnapped the cables that held his armor safely against his heart. A tear made its journey down his face. He smiled, exhaled the breath he'd been holding, and fell to his own knees before her.

**Some Time Prior**

Pepper sat, as she often did, on the center table in Tony's living room with her laptop on her legs. How she managed time and time again to respond to emails, answer texts, and pay attention to the flat screen hanging on the wall was beyond her and everyone's understanding. It came naturally really. But there was one thing she still hadn't mastered, and that was being able to do all those things while Tony expressed his appreciation for her choice of perfume.

"You're in trouble." He stated matter-of-factly while pointing a finger at her as he walked from the stairs. His hair was tousled and he still donned his sweats and white t-shirt from the night before.

Pepper didn't look up from her laptop as she typed away in reply to the latest inquiries from several board members. "Why's that, Tony?"

He stood beside her but glanced at the television before them. "Because…my dear Pepper…you had Jarvis untint the windows at a quarter to six…on a Saturday." She huffed and picked up her phone to view the latest text alert. "Are they serious right now? They want to award us medals?" He faced the flat screen.

Pepper looked up with her phone in hand. "Yes. Can you imagine that? You manage to destroy half of New York City and still get rewarded for it." She smiled teasingly before turning her attention back to her phone.

He grinned. "The least they could do is give me another medal. I deserve a monument after traveling to another world to save ours…while I carried a nuke on my back." He looked at her with wide eyes. "Hey do you think I can get them to build me a statue instead? You know one of those copper ones. I want mine to look like Rocky's but more intimidating. Or maybe I can have them make a replica from the suit…but bigger." After he realized she hadn't been paying attention to his speech, he looked at her with a wicked grin.

"Tony!" Pepper involuntarily flung her phone back. Luckily it landed on the white leather couch behind them. Unfortunately her laptop had nowhere else to land but on the ground when she jerked her legs to the side. Tony couldn't help but chuckle against her skin.

His nose was buried in the space behind her right ear. "You're wearing the perfume I got you." He breathed her in deeply. She craned her neck toward him in an attempt to suppress the chills that were making their way down her body.

Pepper groaned and let out a sound that loosely resembled a squeal. Tony laughed again. "You mean the _I'm-sorry-I-almost-died-trying-to-save-the-world_ perfume you gave me?"

"Mmm." He nodded into her neck. "That would be the one." He stopped breathing it in and proceeded to kiss his way down to her collarbone. He smiled when he felt her shudder after he kissed her pulse point. He knew that she couldn't help her body's reactions to his kisses on that very spot. She went weak at the knees every time.

Pepper felt the goose bumps run down her body and she pulled Tony closer by his waist. She wasn't proud to admit that one well-placed kiss undid her composure, but she never fought against the adrenaline that coursed through her body when he did succeed in undoing her.

"Hey boss." Happy chose that very moment to stride in. Tony groaned with frustration into Pepper's neck and she opened her eyes with a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Whoa! Sorry. I'll come back. I saw nothing. I swear." He spun around quickly on his heels to exit the room.

Pepper cleared her throat. "Happy…come back. What is it?" Pepper pushed against Tony's chest to put some space between them. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Yes Happy, come back, please. We'd be delighted for you to join us at such a favorable time." He sat on the corner of the couch with a loud sigh.

Happy didn't want to walk back into the room, he knew Tony would give him so much grief later, but Pepper had asked. So he did walk back towards them. Hesitantly, but surely he made his way to stand in front of them. He kept his face low and played with the cuffs on his jacket. "Pepper…my timing sucks. Sorry."

She chuckled. "Yes. Tony would say something along those lines I'm sure." She faced Tony. "But we don't mind do we, Tony?"

"Nope. Not one bit. Especially if your timing is programmed to when I'm trying to get Ms. Potts back into bed. Don't mind it at all." He feigned a smile.

"Tony!" Pepper was about to chastise him for his comment when Happy interrupted.

"You have a visitor outside the gate. Thought I'd let you know he doesn't look too happy."

"Ok…what does he look like?" Tony stood up and sat next to Pepper.

"Um, average build. Bald. Sad eyes…eye-"

"Happy!" Tony attempted to stop his friend from describing the visitor.

"No not happy. I thought I mentioned that." He looked up confused.

"No…Happy…if he doesn't look happy, then what does he look? Not appearance wise."

"Oh." He looked to Pepper for assistance. All she could do was smile at the exchange between the two men. There was never a dull moment in her life when the two were in the same room. She shrugged.

"You know, sometimes I wonder about you, Happy." Tony shook his head.

"Anyway, the visitor doesn't look happy, so can we assume he looks…upset?" Pepper cut in.

Happy nodded. "Yup. And he asked to see Tony." He grinned. "Have fun." He turned swiftly to walk back out.

Tony and Pepper looked at each other simultaneously. "Fury."

Tony hung his head and shook it from left to right. "Timing. We have to work on our timing." Pepper smiled a small smile.

Her fingers caressed his cheek and he looked at her. "Go." She kissed the same spot her hands had touched.

"Fine. But I reserve the right to continue where we left off." He kissed her cheek and walked back to his bedroom to freshen up before he met Fury outside.

Tony walked as confidently as ever towards a now seriously irritated Nick Fury. He slowed his pace as he caught sight of the man. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director wore nothing like what he usually sported. His black trench coat was replaced by an _I Heart L.A._ grey hooded sweater. His black uniform was replaced by dark blue jeans and he didn't wear combat boots, but a pair of tennis shoes instead. Tony's smile faded. "Whoa. Should I be worried? I'm worried. What's with the outfit? I miss the pirate look." He stopped a few feet in front of him.

"Be quiet, Stark. I'm here off the clock. The rest of the group is assigned to other matters so I took time from _my_ life to get you some information." He looked cautiously around them.

Tony shifted his weight and looked around as well. He lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. "Okay. What's going on? You could have called. They invented phones a long time ago you know. And I have a state of the art communications system."

"I was in the area. I left a…family gathering. This is urgent. It needs your attention right away." Fury pulled a flash drive from the front pocket of his sweater and handed it to Tony. He looked around again.

Tony once again mimicked Fury's actions. He sighed in frustration and snatched the device from his hand. "Alright! Hand it over. You're acting weird…er. I don't like it." He looked at Fury. "What's with the looking around? Who are you expecting to crash the party? Because I hate to break it to you but neither of us is dressed to entertain."

"Stark. This is no joking matter."

"Yeah. Yeah. I've heard that before." He looked down at the flash drive. "So what's in here? What am I looking for?"

Fury turned towards the front gates and started to walk away. "Can't explain it all. Just study the intel. It's huge. Scary huge." He halted his steps to look back to Tony. "Dangerous huge. I have faith that if anyone can resolve this…it's you. Oh and…congrats on the medal. See you around, Stark."

As Nick disappeared Tony stood rooted to his spot. He sighed. Another mission that was sure to pull him away from Pepper. Who knew for what and for how long. He studied the device a bit longer before making his way back into the mansion, but not before he looked around warily once again.

Tony looked at a number of screens as he tried to take in the information displayed on them. Scientists gathered around test subjects, files with complex formulas, a model of a double helix, test subjects experiencing severe side effects, what appeared to be government officials breaking into laboratories-guns drawn. He squeezed his eyes shut and ran a hand through his hair. Nick had been right; the things he had read about were definitely a great concern, nothing to be taken lightly. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Not if it meant that ignoring such a matter could potentially put humanity at risk, put Pepper in harm's way. Something had to be done, and he would go to great lengths to keep her out of any danger.

The sigh that escaped his lips was heard by Pepper as she walked into his workshop. She carefully made her way to him in the dim-lit space. "Tony?" She made her way around his desk to stand next to him and looked up at the several screens before him. "You need a break."

He let his head drop and spoke under his breath. "Can't."

Pepper's heart always felt heavy when he locked himself in his workshop for hours to study countless file folders. It almost always hinted at an important, not to mention dangerous mission. She looked back down to him and rubbed circles into his hair. "Do you want to come up for some air? I hear it's a nice evening out." Her hand drifted lower to knead the muscles on his shoulder.

Tony looked up with a sad smile. "Where have you been? In the study?" He knew what her answer would be. She was always in her office when they were home and both occupied with business.

She smiled and nodded. "Those files aren't going to sort themselves. Contracts need to be reviewed and signed. I figured if you're going to work through a Saturday, then so will I."

"Not acceptable. It's still early. Let's go have dinner. I'll fly us there. Same idea right? Fresh air and what not." He wrapped his left arm around her waist and looked up to meet her blue eyes. "You're my favorite person in this world. Did you know that?"

A small laugh came from Pepper as she bent forward to hug him by his shoulders. Her head rested on the top of his head. "You're such a softie, Stark."

He gasped loudly. "How dare you say that out loud, Potts? You'll ruin me for life." He grinned as he got to his feet. Careful not to bump heads, he kept her near and embraced her. He rested his head in the crook of her neck; the smell of her perfume reminded him of the morning's events. "You smell great."

"Alright. Let's go before you try to skip out on dinner." She playfully pushed against his chest and walked towards the glass door. "You're my favorite person too, Tony. Most of the time anyway." She winked and left him standing there with a wide smile on his face. He often wondered why a woman like her would stick around for a man like him. "Are you coming?" Pepper shouted from the top of the steps.

"Yup." He walked out of the workshop, taking two steps at a time up to meet her.

**To Be Continued…**

**Not much excitement, but trust me when I say, you will want to stick around. More to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: Thank you to all who have elected to follow this story. I hope you guys are not disappointed. Sorry for the delay…I will try REALLY REALLY hard to update more frequently. Again, not much action, but that will come later I promise. Sorry for any mistakes.

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**The Pierre**

**New York City**

"To our team of misfits." Tony lifted his glass of scotch in celebration. "Cheers!" He looked around the huddle.

The rest of the team joined him as they touched their glasses together. "Cheers." They proceeded to smile and laugh as they drank back the brown liquid. Coughing fits ensued. Some of them were laughing through their coughs. Some of them coughed while they made odd faces. Tony simply smiled as he called one of the drink carriers over.

"Uh. This stuff tastes like battery acid." Steve managed to choke out as he stared at his empty glass in disgust.

Tony laughed. "No appreciation for the finer things in life, Captain?"

"No appreciation for alcohol period. Never did much drinking back in the day." He defended himself.

"I rather enjoyed it." Thor stated boastfully. "I have consumed a fair share of this…alcohol that you call. I had an enjoyable time with great company."

Tony grinned. "Atta boy, Thor. Another one you say? Sure!" He handed him another glass of scotch. "Any other takers?" The rest of the gang eagerly declined with a shaking of heads and hands. "No? Party poopers." Thor and Tony lifted their glasses and took the liquid in with one gulp.

Several guests danced under the gold and silver ceilings while the Avengers talked and laughed amongst each other. Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves thanks to Pepper's exceptional organization and planning skills.

After the mayor of New York had called Pepper to inform her of the scheduled awards ceremony for the Avengers group, she worked hard to organize the event. Though at first she did it mostly to pacify Tony's continuous rants about how "proper celebration" was "essential" to the "continuing unification of the Avengers team", she had also done it to give Tony an excuse to unwind and relieve some stress.

She looked toward the group of men, and Natasha, from where she stood next to the Mayor. They almost looked like they had known each other for years, and Tony was the ring leader. She spotted him pushing Steve towards a group of single and very good-looking ladies. Steve turned to Tony and glared at him. The group shared a laugh.

"I hope that he wasn't serious, Ms. Potts." The Mayor casually continued their conversation.

Pepper cleared her throat and returned her attention to the man. "I'm sorry, sir. I was lost in thought. What were you saying?" She smiled apologetically.

"The statue. I hope that Mr. Stark was kidding when he requested the city put up a statue of Iron Man." He smiled.

She laughed softly and sipped on her martini. "I hope so, too, sir. But with Mr. Stark…you just never know."

She lifted her gaze once again towards the group. She caught Tony's eyes and he winked at her from afar. She smiled back at him.

"So Tony, Fury told me about an…assignment he gave you. How is everything progressing on your end?" Bruce asked from across the circle.

Tony's light demeanor faded. "I wouldn't call it an assignment." He paused to drink from a new glass of scotch. "More like a top secret-blink and you might fail-humanity depends on you-again kind of death sentence." He flashed the group a smile that betrayed no one. They all sensed his uneasiness.

"That dangerous?" Natasha asked with a curious tone.

"Dangerous? For me? Maybe for you." He grinned.

"Seriously Stark. What does it entail?" Clint jumped in.

"Top secret, Barton…did I not just say that?" Tony sighed. "I guess I can divulge some basics…we all are superheroes now so..." He shrugged. "You know…a little bit of nanotech, some government conspiracies, and a few human trials."

"What?" Bruce shot out. "Human trials of nanotechnology? To what extent?"

"Wait…I'm pretty sure I can speak for Thor when I ask this…what is nanotechnology?" Steve questioned between Bruce and Tony.

"Well Captain, it's the best thing that ever happened for nerds around the world. This technology has been around since the eighties, really, but it wasn't until recently that governments around the world started to take it seriously…often spending big bucks to fund privately owned labs."

"What uses does this technology have, Stark?" Thor inquired.

"Many." He looked to Thor. "Some are…necessary for the future generations of this planet. Replacing and advancing fuel and energy resources, curing diseases, and potentially solving agricultural troubles."

"That doesn't sound dangerous." Steve chimed in. "I think it sounds great."

Bruce looked up from where he was currently staring at his shoes. "Sounds great. But where there is good, there is bad." Steve shook his head and looked to him for more of an explanation. "The other side to the coin is uglier. It's the stuff that everyone fears. With great advancements and higher power come greater risks."

"I love it when you speak from the heart, Banner." Tony joked in an attempt to lighten the mood once again. "Needless to say, Steve the other uses are… controversial. The opposition thinks of it as playing God. They believe that kind of power and knowledge shouldn't be granted to human civilization. Some say we are not actually as advanced as we believe…not morally anyway. And to have this kind of control…we could end up destroying each other. If this ended up in the wrong hands, the consequences could be unimaginable."

"You of all people know that sometimes risks must be taken to help others. You built the Iron Man. It could have gotten into the wrong hands..." Steve continued.

"It did." Natasha added, cutting Steve short.

Steve nodded as he looked back to Tony. "But you knew that this creation of yours could do greater things than people could have imagined. And it has."

Tony smiled. "You're right Capsicle. It has. And I'm the first to endorse scientific advances for the greater good, but this could be devastating. We're not ready for this." He finished his drink and placed the glass on the bar table behind him. "Now if you boys...and girl…will excuse me, I see a lady that has been dying to dance with me all night. Don't stay up too late kids." He patted Steve's shoulder and walked away from the group.

Pepper looked in Tony's direction after the Mayor turned to discuss something with his personal assistant. Once she noticed that he had left the group and was making his way to her, her heart sped up and a big smile grazed her face. He had always had that effect on her when he wore a tuxedo. That had been one of the reasons why she would always accompany him to events such as this, even when she knew he would be going home with someone other than her. She was glad things had changed in her favor.

"Excuse me, sir…" Pepper turned to the Mayor. "I see Mr. Stark is headed this way, I better get to him before he comes over and starts to lay out the plans for his monument." They shared a small laugh before she nodded and walked towards her favorite superhero.

They stood toe to toe. "Ms. Potts, I see that you've been eying me all evening." He put his best playboy smile on his face.

Pepper smiled. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Tony."

"Right. Because my handsome self, rocking this tuxedo, doesn't do things to your insides…I'm sure." He fixed the lapels of his suit jacket before brushing invisible dust off his sleeves. He made sure to smile at her as he readjusted his already perfect ensemble.

She shook her head and looked down to her feet. "You are the cockiest person I have ever met, Stark."

"I know right. But it works for me. It's a good quality. A hard one to come by, actually. You should be thankful that you have such a confident man by your side." He smirked.

"You are hopeless."

"And _you_ look beautiful." He gently took her martini glass from her hand and handed it to the drink carrier as he passed by them. "Let's dance." He laced his fingers with hers and led them to the busy dance floor.

"You don't look too bad yourself." She smiled when he pulled her to him with a hand to the small of her back. She happily accepted his left hand as they began to move to the rhythm of the band.

"You smell great." He looked her in the eye.

"Déjà vu, anyone?" Pepper chuckled.

Tony laughed and let go of her body to twirl her once and pull her back in. "Except this time you're not self-conscious about the fact that you are dancing with the hottest man in the room, who happens to not be your boss anymore, by the way. And you are definitely wearing deodorant this time." She smiled almost shyly. "But…you're still as nervous as that time." His smile was full of pride.

Pepper was not one to stroke his ego, but she definitely never lied about how he made her feel. "You still make me nervous."

He pulled her closer and touched his cheek to hers when he whispered into her ear. "Good, that means you're as helpless against me as I am against you." He smiled touching the side of her face before placing a kiss on her cheekbone. They continued to dance and enjoy the moment, repressing any fear of what could go wrong with Tony's impending assignment.

**To be continued…**

**Taking this time to say thank you to your continuing support of _Our Lives In A Song_ and _Caveman Tony and Pepper Potts_. I get very excited when I see people are still reading them and favorite-ing them. Hopefully this story gets the same response. Updating soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch. I do own a great amount of impatience and anxiety, which I'm afraid, will drive me insane waiting for IM3.

Author's Note: Now before you read this chapter, I took some initiative in determining the name of Tony's enemy in this story (let me explain). I researched what I could (since I warned you guys I never read more than two comics), and found that this enemy has various aliases aside from the one EVERYONE knows him by. I chose one that I liked and made it his favorite to use. Don't be upset if I'm wrong. Please. Creative purposes led me to it. I might be off, but in the end, it's all in good fun. Also, expect more frequent updates since I have written about seven chapters now! This one is a bit longer than the first two. Sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy! AN2: I _really_ hope that you guys have all seen the trailer for Iron Man 3. It looks…amazing, awesome, mind-blowing, epic. May will take forever to get here I'm sure. Until then, I shall resort to reading fics, writing them, and watching the trailer over and over.

* * *

His body was burning from the inside out. His head was spinning and his hearing was diminished as the blood rushed in his ears. He could feel everything, and he wished it would stop. The hairs on his arms stood on end as a wave of painful shivers made its way down to his toes. It was excruciating. Not even having his chest ripped opened without anesthetics hurt this intensely. He was dying, he was alive, but he was dying, and all he could hear was the faint sound of Pepper yelling out his name.

Tony shot up in bed. Sweat beads ran down from his forehead as the sheets clung to the rest of his soaked body. He smoothed his two palms over his face in an effort to relieve his tension. After he took a deep breath he glanced over to his left to reassure himself that Pepper was safely next to him. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth as his eyes took her in. She was facing him in her sleep with her left hand tucked safely under the warmth of his pillow. She always did the same thing in the middle of the nights, as if his warmth helped sooth her in her sleep with the fact that he was just as safely next to her.

He let out a small groan of frustration when he realized he would not be able to fall back to sleep. Pepper stirred slightly and burrowed herself deeper into the blankets. A small smile crept on his face and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Satisfied in knowing that she would be alright, Tony walked toward his sanctuary.

"Wake up, Jarvis." Tony snapped his fingers to light up his multiple smart screens.

"Good morning, Sir."

"What time is it?" Tony asked his artificial friend while he sat back in his chair and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"It is currently four twenty-eight, sir." Tony sighed and sat up with his elbows on his workstation. "Sir, I detect high levels of stress."

"I'm fine, Jarvis." He paused to gather himself. "Pull up file NTHT0503, please."

"Right away, Sir." The display brought up the folder he had been looking through a couple of days ago. He read and re-analyzed the information in front of him. Everything he was seeing made him nervous.

Tony read a file of notes written by Fury. The government officially and openly supported the labs that were working and experimenting with nanotechnology. Four labs were currently under their financial aid. One of those labs, Truezdail Incorporated, was operating out of El Segundo, California. Each lab had a sophisticated website that detailed their programs and gave some insight on their progress. Truezadail, however, had a smaller website that only outlined their scientific goals and described other research they were a part of. No mention of their work in nanotech.

Tony sighed. His assignment could take longer than he expected. "Jarvis, run a trace on this website. I want to know the location of the IP address and the databases that are being used."

"Yes sir. Might I also suggest looking into the latest accessed date?"

Tony nodded absentmindedly as he stared at the latest file of information. "Good idea."

"What's a good idea? Especially at four in the morning." Tony jumped a bit at her sudden yet obvious intrusion. "Wow, if I startled you then something is really wrong." She walked towards him.

"Uh, I didn't see you come in." He scratched his head.

"You do realize that's a glass wall, right?" She smiled sleepily pointing over her shoulder.

He smiled softly at her. "What are you doing awake, Pep?"

She sauntered over to stand beside him with an arm around his shoulders for support. "What are _you _doing down here awake at this time?"

"I wanted to finish my homework early?" He grinned and she shook her head. "I had a…uh…nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Pepper ran her hand through his hair to sooth him. Tony shook his head and turned his attention back to the screens. "Alright." Pepper sighed. She looked to the screens as well. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the words in red. "Nanotechnology? You're reading about nanotechnology instead of snuggling in bed next to me?" She faked a hurt look.

"Yes. No. It's more than just nanotechnology." He backpedaled.

"But it is nanotechnology…like your god awful Nano Ball?" He laughed at her. "I hate that thing. Did I ever tell you that I hate that thing?"

"Why do you think I always throw it to you? But no, this is a bit more complicated than a nano ball."

Pepper looked curiously at him and scoot a chair beside him. "Go on."

Tony sighed. "You should be sleeping."

"So should you. Explain. Is this part of your next mission?"

"Yes." He looked down to his hands. "Fury wants this dealt with right away. We have enough to suspect foul play."

"What exactly is the assignment?" She yawned quietly before looking at him in the eye.

"We think that someone in the government is running a lab where they are conducting human trials."

"Human trials? For research on Nanotech?" Pepper's eyes widened. "I'm guessing it's not research with a nano ball."

"Not likely. We're not entirely sure what exactly the trials are. Or which of the four labs is the culprit, but I have an idea. I'm having Jarvis trace the website to a specific lab here in Southern California."

"What makes you think it's that one? There are three other labs."

"Yeah, but none stood out like this one. They might as well wear red in crowd of white." He sighed and took her hand into his.

"I can see your worry lines." She smiled.

"Worry lines? I don't have worry lines." He subconsciously went to smooth out his forehead with his fingers. "I can't believe you said I have worry lines. Not cool."

Pepper grinned and moved closer to kiss his cheek. "So by when will Jarvis have what you need?"

"In an hour or so. You should go to bed, though."

It was Pepper's turn to sigh. She looked at the screens and back to her superhero boyfriend. He smiled as she took his face in her hands and brought their noses close together. "We should go to bed. You can look at this later, after you've had some sleep."

"Pepper…"

"Don't 'Pepper' me. I know exactly what will happen if I leave you down here. You'll fall asleep with your face on the table only to wake up sore as hell in the morning. And you know who will have to fix that?" He nodded with a smirk. "That's right…ME. And I won't be gentle about it."

"I like it when you talk dirty to me. Besides, I hear it's better when both parties are good, not gentle. I think I would prefer that." Tony laughed and moved to kiss her, but she backed away.

"You won't like it when I have my knee on your neck."

"Hmm. Dirty and Flexible. I'm the luckiest man alive." He moved to kiss her again as she reprimanded him with her look. "Ok, ok." Tony took Pepper's hand in his and stood to walk out of the shop. "Jarvis, run the analysis. I'll be down in a few hours."

"Yes, sir."

"So can we test that whole flexibility thing right now?" Tony turned his head to ask Pepper who was smiling from ear to ear. "Or the dirty thing? Your pick."

Pepper laughed softly as she unlaced her fingers from his and walked out the shop door first. "Why not both?" She made sure to use the same grin he wore when he tried to seduce her. She realized it had worked, because as she walked up the steps Tony stood fixed in place trying to even out his breathing.

**Truezdail Inc. **

**El Segundo, CA**

The computer engineer sat at his desk with a cup of coffee in his hand as he typed lines of code with the other. His eyes constantly drifted from the computer screen before him and the security measures screen to the left. It had become second nature for them to glance at that screen every fifteen seconds. It was what they were good at, and it was what the boss expected of them.

Arash set his cup of coffee down on the table top and wiped some sweat off his forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut once to refocus his vision. The lines had begun to blur together and that was never a good thing when code was being written. He typed his last line and was about to save and close the command prompt screen when an alarm flashed on the security measures screen.

"What the hell is that, Arash?" His partner slammed the door to the room open as he made his way towards him with his coffee in hand.

Arash worked frantically to open several windows to locate the intrusion. "I don't know. We have a security breach in the ghost server."

"Well find it!" He sat down at his own computer to assist. "How the hell could anyone get into that server?"

They both typed furiously, but to no avail. "I can't trace it. No signal. No IP. Whoever it is, they must have highly sophisticated software." Arash wiped at the sweat that made its way into his eyes.

"Bastards. Whoever it is…we'll find them. We have to. Kahn will want us to stop at nothing to track this intruder down."

Arash stopped typing to look at his partner. "When Kahn finds out, he'll kill us before we get the chance."

* * *

Back at the mansion, Tony concentrated on his upgrade of the Mark VII in the short amount of time he knew he had. He worked well under pressure, preferred it actually, but lately it seemed his patience was running thin and his stress was on the rise.

As he tightened a mechanism from inside one of the gauntlets, he contemplated his options. He could go in guns blazing, something he particularly liked to do. Or he could be cautious about the situation and work at it from all possible angles. He hadn't decided which of the two was best, but he was positive that in the end, it would take everything he had to get to the bottom on it.

After Jarvis ran the trace on Truezdail's website, Tony confirmed his suspicions about the California-based lab. They had spent a lot of time and a lot of money to secure private files within in order to avoid accidental viewing by anyone who wasn't them. Hidden in one of their servers was a heavily encrypted folder that contained a number of hidden files.

Tony remembered one of the videos that he had come across. It had been captured during one of the very first human trials. The images on his smart screen had disturbed him and stayed with him in the back of his eyes. One particular subject was injected by a scientist as several suits watched the event. As the solution spread, the man's body became engulfed with a black film that seeped through his skin. The layer hardened, crushing his bones and killing him instantly. Another case showed a female patient, similarly built like Pepper. Her body stiffened once the solution was introduced into her body, she convulsed violently, and the same black sludge oozed from her eyes, nose, and mouth.

Tony cringed as he shook the vision from his mind. And as he inserted his hand into the gauntlet, he narrowed his eyes on an invisible target on his wall. Success. A perfect circle was blown out from where the ray hit the solid surface.

"Sir, you have an incoming call from Director Fury." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Alright, J." Tony took off his gauntlet and picked up the other hand. "How can I help you sour patch?"

"Stark. What have you got for me?"

Tony rolled his eyes again at Fury's quick query. "No time for hellos, huh."

"Stark…" His voice sounded irritated and Tony laughed at his accomplishment.

"You were right. One of the four labs is running secret human trials."

"We suspected as much. Had the pictures staring us in the face. Which one?"

"Truezdail Inc. In El Segundo."

"We need to infiltrate. We need you in there."

"My thoughts exactly."

"What else did you find out?"

Tony set his tools down and looked up at the file that was showing on his screen. "We were wrong. It's not someone from the government. The government is funding them, but for what they believe to be simple nanotech experiments. Like nano balls and such. But someone from the outside is running that lab. I can't pinpoint who yet. But whoever is behind it and keeping the funds is based somewhere in China. "

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you say China?" Tony could swear he heard Fury's mind processing the information.

Tony nodded to himself. "Records in one of the files show that the transactions for the finances have been completed in China. Someone named Gene Kahn has signed for the deposits. I can't seem to find anything on this guy. He has no records, no driver's license, no social security number, nothing. Not here and not in China." Tony rubbed his face in frustration.

"Hmm." Fury's curiosity and concern could be heard on the line. "Let me worry about that. I will have my people dig further. When can you get out to the facility?"

Tony reclined back in his seat with a sigh and straightened out when he saw Pepper make her way down the stairs. "I'm upgrading the armor as we speak. I'll be ready to go as soon as Jarvis finishes the software update."

"Alright. Keep me posted, Stark."

The line disconnected as Pepper caught the last of the conversation. She smiled at Tony and made her way to the brown leather couch in the room.

"Hey gorgeous." Tony spun around in his chair to look at her.

She smiled softly before she sighed. "Hey."

"Uh oh." He got up and walked over to sit next to her. "What's wrong?"

She shifted to look at him. "Nothing. I need you to sign this." She handed him a manila folder.

Tony whistled under his breath when he saw the label and took the papers from her. "Official legal medical documents. Nice." He looked up to find her staring sadly at him. "Oh come on, Pep. This is nothing. It has to be done. We signed yours six years ago. I can't believe we waited so long to do this." He rubbed her shoulder gently. "Besides, I'm Iron Man. What could possible go wrong?"

"A lot?" She smiled gloomily.

"Well…in that case… it's good to be doing this then. This way my life is in your hands." He grinned and she shook her head.

"No pressure." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Nope. None. You can let me go if you want." He laughed.

"Tony…sign so I can get out of your hair."

He took the pen she offered him and scribbled way. "What if I don't want you out of my hair?" He handed the file back to her. "Here, your turn."

Pepper took her turn at signing the documents. "I have things to do. I will be upstairs if you need anything."

"I need you." Tony stopped her in her tracks with his words. She spun around slowly and smiled sweetly at him.

"You have me." He got up from the couch and walked closer to her. Just a few inches of space separated their bodies.

Tony nodded with a grin. "Lucky me." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Care to stay down here for a while, Ms. Potts?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Pepper didn't want to smile at his comment, but she did. It frustrated as much as it excited her when he began a conversation as the sweet Tony and ended it with his customary playboy talk. It often surprised her when he took her out to dinner or for a long walk on the beach and he behaved like a proper gentleman the whole way through. She liked those days, but Pepper would not deny that when he…got out of line…it made her heart flutter with pride. Pride at knowing that out of all her female species in the world, Tony only wanted her. Openly and wholly.

So she kissed him. She closed the gap that separated them and connected their lips in a painfully passionate kiss. "How long is a while, Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked in between their kissing.

He quickly turned them around and walked them carefully back towards the couch. "Forever?" He smiled against her lips before he moaned at the sensation of her hands in his hair.

"Sounds good to me." Their bodies landed on the couch when Pepper pulled Tony closer to her.

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: ***Rubs palms together excitedly*** I am having so much fun writing this story! I hope you're all enjoying it so far. Thank you for the favorites and the follows! I will not let you guys down! As I said before, I have a few chapters completed so expect more updates. I will be posting them from my iPhone though, so please do not hesitate to message me if I have too many mistakes or typos.

* * *

Pepper sat in her office chair and ignored the stack of papers that had begun to pile up. She chose, instead, to gaze out the window of the Stark Industries tower. The city below her looked busy with cars and people on the streets. A deep sigh escaped her as she wondered whether those people knew how much her Iron Man constantly laid on line for them. Wondered if what she felt right then, and any other time he was on a mission, was what military families felt.

The worry gnawed at her heart and an anxiety in the form of butterflies bothered her stomach. She tried to relax by breathing deeply. Pepper knew that Tony was capable of fending off the toughest of criminal minds, but it never seized to frighten her that so many unstable people were out plotting sophisticated schemes that could potentially break him.

A mental image of Tony hurt somewhere came into her mind, but she disregarded it.

"Hey boss lady." Happy walked through her double doors to stand a few feet from her desk.

"I'm sorry, Happy. How long have you been standing there?" Pepper flashed him a small apologetic smile.

"Not long. Are you ready to go home or do you need more time?" He looked to the window and pointed to the now dark skies. Everyone knew that Pepper was always one of the last to leave.

"No, no, I'm ready." She sighed as she caught sight of the mountain of paperwork that sat on her desk top. She shook her head. "I'm ready when you are, Happy."

"Uh oh." Happy smiled and shook his head.

"Uh oh what? You can't start a conversation with _uh oh_…not around here, Happy." Pepper's eyes widened as she waited for him to continue.

"Tony must have finally rubbed off on you." Pepper looked at him questioningly. Happy looked over to the same stack of papers and pointed. "Ignoring your duties. Procrastinating. Justifying it with a casual _I'll take care of it tomorrow_." He finished with a chuckle.

Pepper could not help the grin that escaped her lips. "This doesn't leave this room. Never tell Tony. Ever. Got it, Happy?"

"Hmm. Even starting to sound like him."

"Stop it." By then Pepper was laughing.

"You got it, Boss."

She grabbed her bag and stuffed as much work as she could into it. Her face suddenly turned serious and Happy noticed it right away. "Pepper…what's wrong?" He decided to sit across from her when he heard her sigh.

"Nothing, Happy. I'm just a bit…anxious that's all." She continued to pack her things for the night.

"Right. About?"

"Tony."

Happy nodded. "Why did I not expect to hear anything but his name?" He smiled at her as she looked up.

"I know. I just have a weird feeling about all of this. His latest assignment, I mean. He's so engrossed in it and with good reason. But I can't help but feel that something is going to go wrong. I mean I hope it doesn't, but I just don't like it at all."

"Tony can handle it. He will. You know him, he won't stop until he solves every last equation and finds every last variable."

"Yes. I know. That's what worries me. He thinks he's Superman."

"But he's not…he's Iron Man." Happy took a shot at a joke and succeeded in making Pepper giggle.

"Well, if Superman had his weakness in Kryptonite…I guess I'm just afraid to find out what Tony's is."

Happy stood and straightened out his suit. "Well that's easy, Pepper. It's you." Pepper's eyes focused on his face and she became serious. "But don't worry. Tony has officially requested that I become your body guard, and I would be honored. So you're safe with me." He grinned.

"That's comforting." She rolled her eyes playfully and stood to walk out with him.

"I'm hurt." He put his hand over his heart as he followed her.

"Oh, Happy. Don't be. There are…other things you are great at." She patted his shoulder.

Happy looked at her hand as it fell from his back and he gasped. "You just patted me. And you insulted me and covered it with a semi-honest praise." Pepper smiled. He shook his head and pointed at her. "You really need to stop doing that. You're scaring me."

Pepper laughed. "Aw come on, Happy. It's not that bad."

"No…it is." His eyebrows shot to his forehead as he nodded. "You have to stop hanging around him."

"I can't promise you that…sorry."

"Just don't grow a goatee."

* * *

Tony walked to the platform and whistled along to the Black Sabbath song that played through the speakers in his workshop. "Alright, J. Let's do this."

"The Mark VII is prepped and ready, sir."

The floor opened up beneath his feet as the mechanical arms assembled the suit over his body. Piece by piece he waited for them to finish. Anticipation welled in the pit of his stomach. Tony knew he would be met with hostility, and he was prepared for that, but he just couldn't figure out what or who he was dealing with. That small detail made him anxious.

As the face mask came down, he stepped off the platform and turned to face the opening of the shop. With one last check at his heads up display, he jetted off toward Truezdail.

**Truezdail Inc.**

The man towered over his subordinates with angry eyes. "The only reason that I am keeping you alive is because you two are the best that we have. How the intruder got past you is beyond my comprehension." Kahn turned and walked away to stand by the security screen. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back. He glared at the screen and turned back to his workers. "Any of you venture a guess as to how that could have happened?"

Arash looked to his companion with fright before feigning courage and looked back to his superior. "W-we are currently trying to decipher that, sir."

Kahn nodded and walked to stand before Arash. "I better get some answers soon, my friend. I didn't travel out here to look after you two. I want to get this little issue resolved. Quickly."

The men shared determined yet frightened nods with him.

Tony scanned the fleeting ground beneath him as he flew along the Pacific coastline. His navigational system tracked his distance from the lab. "J, what do you think…guns blazing or peaceful interrogation?" He smiled as he asked his AI.

"Do I have a choice, sir?" Tony grinned at his AI's response. "I'm not particularly a supporter of _guns blazing_, sir. This usually involves you sustaining a substantial amount of damage and me conducting hours of repairs to the armor's exterior." Tony rolled his eyes at the obvious remark.

"You're so dull sometimes, Jarvis."

"Thank you, sir."

"That wasn't a compliment." His target flashed brighter on his heads up display as Tony shook his head and chuckled. "Alright, J…dull and boring it is. But know that I am not doing this because you suggested it. Pepper would kill me if I got myself killed."

"I'm not sure how that would work, sir. But I can assure you that I am not upset. You did not program me to feel jealousy."

The light-hearted conversation ended when he focused on his target and looked for a discrete place to land. The facility spanned a few acres and was not one whole building as he had expected. White concrete buildings lay scattered amongst bigger warehouses. He hovered over the facility and kept an eye on any activity and security cameras.

"Jarvis, give me a count of all cameras and personnel outside of buildings."

"There are thirteen buildings in all. I detect thirty-nine cameras surveying the facility, and currently there are 12 people outside of buildings, four of which are guards at the front and back gates, sir."

Tony nodded. The thrusters on his boots dropped power and he slowly descended to a spot behind one of the warehouses near the back of the facility. As he landed softly he stayed in the shadows and out of view from the cameras. All the while he kept an observant eye on his surroundings. Once he confirmed that nobody would see him right away, because they were bound to do so at some point, he crossed the expanse of the paved walkways.

A lack of alarms ringing made him feel more at ease. No one had spotted him yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't cautious. His feet produced a metallic thump every time he walked, and because of that he expected someone to tackle him when he rounded every corner. Nobody did. Tony let out a steady breath.

"Sir, it seems you are nearing the central building of the facility."

"My guess is this is the principal's office." Tony joked when he walked up to the entrance. As he reached for the handle, he saw a shadow moving in the light from beneath the door. Naturally and without a second thought, he turned his thrusters on to hover around the corner from the double doors. A man dressed in black combat gear exited the compound and walked away as he smoked a cigarette. His free hand rested on the trigger to his assault rifle. "Too heavily guarded to be just a science laboratory isn't it?" Tony commented to himself and dropped to the ground with a louder thud than he had planned.

"Hey! Stop where you're at!" A man called out from behind him near the back of the building.

A lot of thoughts rushed through Tony's mind, but none stood out more than the 'oh shit' he was currently reciting in his head. "Alright." He replied under his breath as he turned to face his company. "Guns blazing it'll be then. Can't blame a guy for trying." Tony kept his hands at his sides, but slowly powered each palm, ready for an attack.

"What? What did you say?" A nervous guard pointed his riffle at him.

"Hi." Tony stepped forward.

His sudden move distressed the man, so much so that he fired at Tony. The bullets bounced off his chest plate as he continued to walk towards him, palms still at his sides.

When the guard realized that nothing would stop the intruder in an armored suit, he turned his head to look for assistance. "Carl! Sound the alarms!" He turned back to Tony and continued to pull the trigger.

Adrenaline began to course through Tony's body as the chaos of alarms and red lights surrounded him. "Ok. Let's play."

With ready palms and a heavy desire to protect himself, Tony began to blast his repulsors at anything or anyone that came at him. His first assailant flew back through the air and landed in dense bushes that surrounded one of the concrete buildings. Not much time was granted for him to breathe as another guard fired at him from the side. He whipped his head around just in time for a lone bullet to strike his lit eye glass. Tony faced the man and sent him flying into the side of a warehouse with a blast.

"Stop there!" A much taller and much more toned guard ran towards him with his rifle drawn.

Tony couldn't help but let out a frustrated chuckle. Were the guards not yet aware of the fact that they could not stop him? He shook his head and aimed both of this palms at the guard.

A sudden bright flash prevented Tony from taking any further action. It took a while for him to register that he was no longer standing, but flat on his back trying to adjust his vision. Pain tore at various parts of his body, and a familiar feeling of moisture seeping through those areas made him consciously aware that a shrapnel grenade had been thrown at him.

In what seemed like mere seconds, he sat up and looked down to see numerous pieces of metal and glass embedded into his suit. As he began to position himself to stand, a flock of guards tackled him from all around. They were plenty, but still no match for the power and strength that the suit possessed.

"Tony! Tony come in! You need to get out of there." Nick Fury yelled through his earpiece.

Tony grunted as he diverted all power to his boots. "Not now, I'm kind of in the…middle of something!"

"Tony get out of there now!" Fury reiterated his concerned command.

All power was ready and Tony used it to send the group of guards flying back before he took off into the air. He hovered well above the facility to recover. "Alright. Now…what were you saying?" Tony finally caught his breath and asked Fury.

Tony waited for a response, but before he could hear what the man had to say, he found himself being taken back towards the ground in a strong vice grip. The sudden attack and the speed at which they flew through the air didn't give Tony much time for a challenge. He never got the chance to fully look at his aggressor before he felt the pain and his world went dark.

**To be continued…**

** Thank you guys for reading ****_At All Costs_****! I HAD to get it out of my head in order to concentrate 100% on this story. I will try not to digress, but I'm sure most, if not all of you, understand that when something gets into that brain of ours our fingers itch to type away what's within.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: I am **_so_**amazed by your responses to this story. You guys have made my…week…my month! Thank you to those of you who have been taking the time to chat with me about the story and all things Iron Man. I like sharing opinions and discussing this great thing we all affectionately call Pepperony. Please continue to enjoy the story and I will keep writing it! Sorry for any mistakes and typos.

* * *

Whoever had him in the death grip suddenly let loose and chose instead to stand on Tony's chest piece near the arc reactor. He felt their weight as it push him down faster. And then his world went dark.

Sounds of pavement breaking and dirt and rock hurling into the air signaled their landing. The man who crash-landed Iron Man back to the facility now stood off to the side. He glowered at the armor clad figure that lay unconscious in the crater. A number of his disciples circled the crater with guns and weapons drawn as the dust settled.

"Are you still there? Tony!" Fury's voice was the first thing he heard as he slowly emerged from the darkness. The volume at which he yelled was thunderous to Tony, and he winced as he felt his head pound as a result. "Tony! The man from China…we know who he is!"

Tony groaned as he attempted to move. Every muscle in his body stiffened and denied him the ability to shift more than a centimeter at a time. Though he didn't really want to, he opened his eyes slowly to assess the situation he had been plunged into. The lights in his helmet turned on and he grunted one more time. What he saw when everything adjusted was not what he wanted to see.

"Pleased to finally meet you Iron Man. The great Tony Stark." A man loomed over him as guards stood ready for another round of attack.

"And you are?" Tony slowly let out and felt his ribs protest.

"What? Tony!" He heard Nick in his ear, but was currently more painfully aware of the tall long-haired man that was focused on him. So he ignored Nick.

"Gene. Gene Kahn."

Tony nodded slowly. "Right." He inhaled deeply to ready himself. "I assume you run this joint." He moved to sit up slowly. His actions elicited a quick reaction from the men and their guns. They all hardened their stance and clicked their weapons into position. Tony looked around the huddle and back to the man.

Kahn clasped his hands behind his back and motioned for his men to stand down. He looked back down to Tony. "You have been snooping around. That's bad manners, ."

An angry chuckle escaped Tony's throat as he began to stand. The men raised their weapons once again. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mr. Kahn. I believe experimenting with human lives is also bad manners. Not to mention…outdated." Tony was never one to play nice with his adversaries, and the fact that he was pushing the man's buttons was evidence of that.

"Tony!" Nick came through in his ear once again. "You have to get out of there. Kahn is there."

"Yeah, we've met." Tony finally responded as he rolled his eyes and Kahn looked at him curiously.

"What? Kahn is dangerous!"

"I've gathered that." This time Kahn stepped closer to the edge of the crater to look at Tony more closely.

"You have to leave. You're no match for this guy. We have reason to believe this man is someone who calls himself The Mandarin. Kind of likes to destroy things in his spare time."

Nick's words had Tony's full attention. As he finished processing what he had just heard, he stepped forward to look up directly at Kahn. The man grinned at Tony and nodded. "He's right. I do like to destroy things."

"That's funny because I'm pretty good at destroying things without meaning to." Standing down was not an option, so Tony stood his ground and challenged Kahn.

He straightened his back and with a slow sweep of his hand, Kahn commanded his men to leave them. He looked up with the same grin on his face and then looked down at Tony. "A match made in hell."

Both men stood rooted to the ground as they analyzed the other's posture. After a long and tension-filled silence, Tony turned to exit the crater to the left of the man. His body hurt, but he showed no weakness in front of him.

His steps clanked on the unbroken concrete below him as he turned around to face Kahn. An evil smirk resided on the man's face. Everything about him screamed danger, but Tony never back-pedaled. Instead, he walked forward to come closer to him. Kahn stood still and simply smiled as he took Tony's actions to mean war.

"I wouldn't get much closer if I were you." He unclasped his hands and rubbed his knuckles.

Tony's metallic voice came through full of courage. "Good thing you aren't me."

"Your life. Your death." Soon, a strange glow engulfed his body. Tony squinted and shielded his eyes with his armored hand from the blinding light. "I warned you, Mr. Stark." Kahn's voice sounded distant as the flash continued in his place.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I'm kind of hard-headed. I don't follow orders very well." Tony wanted to move back as the intensity of the light grew, but he didn't have to take any action. As the glow faded, his hand came down from his eyes and he stared bewildered at the man before him.

What was once a man in a tailored suit, was now a gray armored figure with a horned-helmet that stood at least two feet taller than Tony. Each armor clad finger donned a gleaming ring, and each digit curled and uncurled in an attempt to adjust to the material that encased it. Tony could hear a faint chuckle as he continued to stare at the image before him.

"Ok. See that suit…it has to go. What's with you people and antlers? Seriously, the first thing I think of is Bullwinkle. Not exactly threatening." He tried some humor to lighten his own frame of mind, because he was sure that Mr. Mandarin did not particularly care for good moods. When he noticed that his foe had begun to move towards him, Tony positioned himself for take-off and hung in the air.

Tony grinned from above his opponent. "Well this party is a downer." He spoke down to Kahn.

"You think you're the only one with fancy suits and advanced technology, Mr. Stark?" His voice sounded malevolent and aggressive.

As the jets to his boots kept him in the air, Tony shrugged with his shoulders and activated his palms to blast Kahn as soon as he made his move. "Several have tried to duplicate it, most have not mastered it. Too much power-not enough control."

Kahn waited for Tony to finish his comment before he let out a loud laugh. Almost as if to mock the words that had left Tony's mouth. "You don't know power, Iron Man. I'll show you power."

His muscles tensed; even in the air he adjusted his posture to ready himself for battle. A cocky grin escaped his lips within his helmet and he hoped that he could end the encounter soon. Because though Tony did not like to admit defeat, his body ached from the many pieces of shrapnel that were still embedded in his suit and skin. Just as he finished his last thought, he detected Kahn's right metallic arm come up and point to him. A faint yellow glow began to shine from one of Kahn fingers. Tony found that odd, since the night was dark and the moon was nowhere near for the ring to catch a glimmer of light.

"Tony are you still there? Talk to me Stark!"

"Not now, Cyclops. I'm a little preoccupied."

"He has multiple rings! They're very powerful. Get out!"

As the glow became brighter and more ominous, Tony lifted both palms and aimed them down toward Kahn. Time seemed to slow as Tony fired both repulsors at the same time and found himself being flung back towards the ground. He couldn't escape the yellow envelope that carried his body through the air. All he could do was hope for a soft landing. Kahn granted him no such luck as he smashed him through the pavement, several layers of rock, and a thick deposit of mud.

A frustrated and guttural groan escaped Tony as he found himself twenty feet underground. His back protested every movement he made, but he soon stood, half-hunched to catch his breath. "Jar…" he coughed. "Jarvis, damage report." He placed an armored hand on the dirt wall before him to steady his balance.

"You have a hairline fracture on the seventh rib, but it will not need medical attention. The suit is fully functional though there are multiple dents and punctures. Might I suggest ending this battle, sir?"

"That's the plan." Tony straightened sluggishly and felt a number of cracks make their way down his back. He shook it off and slowly ascended the hole towards the surface. As soon as he spotted the so called Mandarin, he diverted power to the chest piece and fired it at him. The Mandarin was thrown back into a concrete building. Loud crashes resounded from where he broke through walls and structural beams, but soon reappeared in his previous spot. Tony shook his head at the realization that the man could teleport himself from place to place.

"Show off." Tony sighed in some pain.

Sensing that perhaps the battle was far from over, Tony killed the power to his boots and landed with a metallic clack on the ground. "Is that all you have for me, Mr. Stark?" The Mandarin smiled and looked down at his rings to choose his next demonstration on the Iron Man that stood a few feet from him.

"I have a few tricks left. I noticed we are remodeling your facility." A smirking Tony gestured to the damage with his hand. "I hope you don't mind." He never waited for what the man had to say before he readied himself for the shoulder missiles he had added to the suit before the events in New York. Each missile exited its port on his shoulders and headed towards Kahn at full speed. Tony stood in place and waited for the damage that was sure to follow. The first few missiles hit their target and sent a stunned Kahn flying into the air, but the victory was short lived. Not four hits later did Tony witness Kahn teleport, causing all remaining missiles to miss as they exploded on impact with a vacant warehouse wall.

Kahn forcefully landed a few feet from Tony, breaking the ground beneath him, and once again lifted his right fist and aimed it at him. This time it was not a yellow glow, but a soft blue one that emanated from one of the rings. He had no idea what could come of the ring that was aimed at him, but he readied himself as he stood solidly with his palms poised at Kahn. "I hope our little disagreement leaves you satisfied enough to never return. Be warned that if you do, I will be waiting." One last grin escaped his lips before the wind picked up and headed in Tony's direction.

A spinning maelstrom of wind, dirt, and rubble made its way towards him as he switched on his thrusters in an attempt to jet away from it. Not much help came from that when the vortex engulfed Tony and kept him in place. Kahn looked one last time at him before he spoke. "Goodbye, Mr. Stark." With a final sweep of his arm, the vortex spun Tony in the opposite direction of the facility.

**To be continued…**

**Yes, to those of you who said the villain was The Mandarin, congrats!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: Alright guys. Before I let you guys read I will apologize for any typos. This one's full of Pepperony. Every now and then you have to throw it in for the shippers. Me being one of them, do not have a problem with writing more of it. So let me know if you guys think we need more. Thank you guys for reading!

Watching Iron Man 2 as I post this. Whiplash is about to break out of prison. See you guys soon!

* * *

Pepper was nervous as Happy pulled the car up to the rounded drive way. Judging by the darkened interior, she was certain that Tony wasn't home yet, and it always made her anxious not knowing where he was. It used to be that she could ask Jarvis for an update on his whereabouts and his vitals, but Tony had reprogrammed his AI to not disclose such information to her. Pepper had been furious and had fought him on every point of his argument, but he insisted it was for the best.

'What good would come out of knowing every gory detail, Pep? What if I'm on a classified mission and you let it out that I was bleeding to death in a no-fly zone? You could potentially start a world war all on your own.'

After she had blown out a frustrated breath and crossed her arms across her chest, Tony had agreed to compromise. 'Let's come up with a plan, then. Say…a code.' She had tapped her foot on the floor of his workshop waiting for him to continue as he swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed from her intense glare.

'Let's say you want to know how I'm doing. All you'll do is ask Jarvis _how's the eagle flying_ and he'll reply with _slow and steady_ if I'm hurt but alive, _soaring high_ if I'm unscathed, or _EOG_ if I'm too hurt to even get in the air.' She hadn't been a huge fan of his system, even thought it was corny, but she had agreed to it because it would keep her connected to him during his missions.

'I just want to know for sure to avoid me going crazy wondering if you're alive or not.' She had finally commented as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

'EOG?' She asked as she pulled away.

'Eagle On Ground.' She nodded in understanding and hugged him to her.

So as she stepped through the doors of the mansion, and realized that even the lights that lead to his workshop were completely off, she had her cue to find out how he was doing.

"How's the eagle flying, Jarvis?" Pepper walked through the door in the dark and set her bag on the bench next to the entrance along with her coat.

"Slow and steady, Ms. Potts. Welcome home." Though it wasn't the phrase she had hoped for, she knew it was better than hearing he was severely hurt and lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Thank you, Jarvis. Have Dummy and Butterfingers prep the emergency kits." She commanded as she walked upstairs to their bedroom to change out of her work clothes, and into something more along the lines of natural fabrics.

"Right away, Ms. Potts."

"Jarvis, lights please." Happy shook his head as he made his way into the mansion with bags of take-out in his arms. It had become a customary procedure to help Pepper with the take-out as she made her way to the workshop, in the dark, to aid the injured hero on days when he had missions. And though it was not on his list of tasks and duties, Happy was always content to help his friends in any way possible. Within reason, of course.

"You would think that by now you would turn them on yourself, Jarvis."

"I am programmed to be an efficient and energy-saving system and I run this house as such. The switching on of electrical appliances is a task I must carry out upon request, sir."

Happy rolled his eyes and placed the bags on the kitchen island. "Too long of an explanation, Jarvis. You could have easily said that you can't do it without permission."

"Well sir, it wouldn't require per-"

"Mute." Happy shook his head and laughed to himself as he sat on one of the stools.

Not too long after Happy had situated himself with a plate and some utensils did Pepper make her way back down the stairs. She secured her hair in a ponytail as she spotted Happy in the kitchen. "Happy…"

Like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, Happy turned when he heard her voice with a fork full of chow Mein in his mouth. Literally. "Hmm?" He coughed a bit as he tried not to choke on the noodles.

"Go ahead and start without us. I'll be right up." She peered into the kitchen just in time to witness a very flushed Happy Hogan fumbling for a napkin to conceal his Chinese-take-out-stuffed mouth. After failing to locate one, which was obviously readily available and in the paper bag in front of him, he shrugged and nodded embarrassedly. "Never mind." Pepper laughed softly and shook her head before she walked right back towards the stairs that led to the workshop. "Enjoy!" Happy shrugged again and stabbed a piece of broccoli before sighing at the explosion of flavors that were bursting in his mouth.

A loud crash came from within the shop as Pepper descended the stairs, which forced her to speed up. she nearly fell when she missed a step. As she typed in her code she saw Tony struggling to stand on the platform beneath him. At a glance she saw the armor was heavily riddled with holes and pieces of metal and what looked like glass that protruded from several spots on his body.

"Tony." She made her way towards him in a hurry and realized he was talking to Fury.

"I'm telling you I agree with you. This is guy is the real deal. We need to pull our resources together. There's no saying what he's capable of." Pepper stood in front of him and waited for the machines to free him from the damaged suit. Her eyes watered every time she saw him like this, it never got easier, but she was thankful that so far it hadn't gotten worse either. "We'll talk later. Yes, I'm sure I'm alright. Nothing my girl can't make better." He winked down at her as soon as the helmet was dismantled and allowed his face to be seen.

What Pepper saw was a man who always sported a brave face despite the pain he felt. His eyes were red and his face was slightly cut from the beating he was sure to describe to her. In too much detail of course, while she silently listened and felt the anger rise at the thought of someone being so determined to hurt him. But she would never stop supporting him, or cleaning his wounds, never. Because Tony Stark was her world and anything she could do to be there for him she would do.

"Hey beautiful." Tony grimaced as he tried to step off of the platform and failed. The neoprene suit he wore also full of tears and holes.

"Hey." Pepper stepped closer to allow him a shoulder for support as he stepped down. Gladly he accepted her help and draped an arm around her shoulders. She sat him down on the leather couch. "Tylenol now or later?"

"Now, please." Tony's head dropped on the back of the couch and his arms fell limply at his sides. He closed his eyes while he breathed deeply and let it out with a sigh.

"How do you feel?" She handed him a glass of water and two pills for his pain.

"Not too bad. My body stings a bit. Shouldn't be too bad, though. Except for the hairline fracture on my rib." He smiled as he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"A fracture? Tony! That isn't something as insignificant as you just made it sound. You need a doctor."

"Pep, I'm ok. Jarvis said it'll heal on its own. No big deal." After he took the medication he set the glass on the table next to the couch with a visible frown.

Pepper moved to sit in front of him on the rolling chair that had quickly become her station on nights like this. "Here let's get you out of that." She helped him into a sitting position so she could unzip his neoprene suit.

"Couldn't wait to get me out of my clothes, huh Pep." Tony's grin went unnoticed by Pepper as she helped free his arms carefully from the tight confines of the outfit. When she said nothing, not even a smart remark about not flattering himself, he took his hand and cupped her cheek to force her eyes to his. "I'm alright, Pepper. I promise."

"I know. I'm sorry." She looked up with a small smile. "You just have to let me deal with it on my own. This never gets easier. I'll never stop worrying about you." Dummy got closer to Pepper with the first aid kits before it, and she began to cautiously clean his wounds.

A small grin flashed from Tony. "The worried girlfriend. Are you wildly conflicted and crazy about me, still?"

She nodded almost laughing softly. "Always." As she continued to apply antiseptic on a particularly deep puncture wound on his left oblique, and once Tony recovered from the sting with an audible groan, he gently took her hands in his and pulled her towards him.

Pepper's hands went to rest on his chest on either side of the arc reactor when her face stopped inches from his. "Thank you." Tony whispered as he threaded his fingers through her hair to move her in.

"For what?" It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to hold his gaze. She wanted to close her eyes to prepare herself for the kiss she was anxious to give him.

"For taking such good care of me. For supporting me. For everything." They inched closer.

Once again, Pepper nodded. "No problem." At the end of her sentence, she finally moved in and closed the distance. Their lips met in a soft yet firm kiss, and they sighed into each other, thankful that they could enjoy each other's warmth. It was hard for Pepper to pull back when Tony tried to deepen their kiss, but she did because she was very aware of his condition. "You're hurt."

"I'm alright. Besides, a make out session with you is well worth any pain I might feel."

"Later. I promise. Right now you're going to let me clean you up and bandage these wounds." She pecked his lips quickly before he could initiate any further action and she resumed her handy work.

In between gasps of pain from Tony, and low _I'm sorrys_ from Pepper, they shared their day's events. Small chuckles came from Tony as Pepper told him that Happy suggested she stop hanging around him because she was beginning to sound like him.

"I agree with him about the goatee." Pepper laughed as she carefully taped a bandage over his injured arm. "I mean you would be beautiful still, I'm sure. But that would be weird." She laughed again.

"Don't worry…I'm in no hurry to look like an Irish man with a red goatee."

"Good because I like you without facial hair anyway." Tony smiled and stared at her as she finished patching him up.

"There. We're all done for tonight. Your legs are just superficial cuts, I can clean those after dinner." He looked down at her accomplishment. Patches of white bandages covered most of the deeper wounds.

"Thank you, babe."

Pepper stopped putting the equipment away when she heard him speak the words. Shyly and slowly she turned in the chair. "Babe?" Her face graced with an inquiring gaze.

Tony looked up from where he examined his ribs. His eyes wide with horror. "No?"

"No what?"

"Hang on…what?"

"Tony."

"Yeah."

"Yeah? You just said no."

It was safe to say they were both completely confused and nervous from the exchange. They both chuckled softly. "Wait." Tony put his hand up to stop her from speaking. "I fail to understand what just happened here. Clarify, please."

"You called me _babe_."

"Right. And you had a look on your face that suggested that was not something you wanted to be called."

"Wrong. I was curious as to why you _had _called me babe." Pepper smiled widely.

"It came out naturally." He shrugged with a smirk.

"I don't mind it. It's just still very new."

Tony leaned forward slowly, ignoring the light pain he felt in his ribs, to take Pepper's hands in his. "Terms of endearment are crucial to a relationship, I hear."

"I agree." She squeezed his hands. "You've called me baby before. I just got caught off guard with babe."

"So you like baby better? Because I don't mind saying baby. At all. I think it's hot." He grinned mischievously.

"I like either one. But I must admit I still like it a lot when you call me Pep."

"But that's a nickname." He paused at the thought. "Of a nickname. Or a shortened nickname? Whichever, but it's still not a term of endearment per se."

Pepper nodded in agreement. "True. Well I like all three. I guess it's up to you and what mood you're in." She laughed under her breath.

"Alright. My call then. Just try not to look so scared next time."

"I wasn't scared." She argued. "I was surprised."

"Mortified is more the word you're looking for." Tony moved to stand with her hands still in his.

"Pleasantly surprised."

"I'll accept that." Tony grinned through a small grunt. "So what's your term for me? I just realized you don't have a nickname for me." He walked towards the elevator with one hand laced with hers.

"Hmm." Pepper tapped her chin with her index finger to pretend she was deep in thought. "_Jerk_ comes to mind." She beamed.

"Ouch." Tony covered his arc reactor with his palm. "That hurt."

"You should be used to it by now." She laughed as she stepped in to the elevator.

Tony shook his head. "Nope. Still feels new." He used her words from earlier.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." Her arms looped around his neck, but she was careful not to put too much strain on his body. "How about I call _you_ babe when the occasion calls for it. Let me work on the nickname. I like your name as it is. Tony is a great nickname. Unless you want me to start calling you Anthony."

"No. I'm ok with Tony for the time being." He laughed. "Now what are we eating for dinner?" He kissed her nose.

"Well, if Happy hasn't completely run off with the goods...then we're having Chinese."

"Mmm. He better not have. I'm famished. I will tackle him, I swear."

They both laughed as they stepped out of the elevator and waited for sign of Happy.

**To be continued…**

**Hope you guys are still into the story! Btw, still getting updates for Iron Man 3. I'm a masochist...what can I say. Still anxious as heck! Please let me know if you guys hear anything new.**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: Thank you guys for your support! Once again I'm posting this from my iPhone, so please excuse any and all mistakes and typos. Please let me know so I can get them fixed. Enjoy!

* * *

Tony pulled his R8 Audi into the underground parking garage of the heavily guarded SHIELD facility. It was the last place he wanted to be so early in the morning, when he could be nestled up to Pepper instead. With a frustrated sigh and a near pout he slammed his door shut and stuffed the keys into his jean pockets.

He shook his head as he admitted to himself that he had surely crossed over from playboy jerk to hopeless softie. Who would have thought? Definitely not Mr. Playboy himself, but he happily accepted his new life as a devoted or nearly devoted (because let's face it…as Iron Man…he was always running around leaving Pepper to fend for herself) boyfriend.

That explained why Tony was in such a foul mood. Once again, he would have to leave her and ruin whatever plans he had with her. Pepper had made arrangements for them to spend the day together, uninterrupted by their schedules, to allow them to enjoy some stress free time. She had revealed her plans to him as they lay in bed last night after a very intimate and soul-healing love-making session. He had kissed her and promised her their day would go without a hitch, and that he wouldn't let anyone interfere with her plans for them. Especially since they both needed the time to recover-Pepper from her stressful nights of waiting for him, and Tony from the recent battle he had shared with his newest nemesis.

Yet here he was! Plans ruined. Pepper alone in bed, not upset at him for ditching her, because she knew Fury was a man that got what he demanded (most of the time anyway). Bless her soul for being so understanding. Tony was one lucky bastard when it came to having the world's best superhero-savvy girlfriend. He would have to make it up to her…again.

"Where have you been Stark?" Fury reprimanded Tony for his tardiness before he even stepped out of the elevator.

"Watch it, Deacon." Tony stepped out and walked quickly towards the conference room, leaving Fury a few steps behind him.

"Deacon?" Fury caught up and walked beside Tony as he handed him a file folder.

Before Tony scanned the contents inside, he stopped in his tracks and turned to face Fury with a bewildered look. "Good god, Nick. Are you pulling my leg right now? Deacon…Dennis Hopper…Waterworld…Kevin Costner…?" He looked down and shook his head disapprovingly when he realized Fury had no idea who or what he was referring to. "Wow. You need to get out more and watch some movies. Google him."

"I don't have time for your antics right now, Tony." Fury changed the subject and encouraged Tony to walk towards the room with an outstretched hand.

"You better have time. I took time from _my_personal schedule to come here and meet you at this ungodly hour." They entered the room and sat on opposite sides of the table where they could see the projection screen that was hanging from the ceiling.

"Suck it up. The more concentrated you are, the faster we can get out of here, and the faster you'll be back home…with your girl." Fury rolled his eye.

An exasperated sigh escaped Tony.

Fury had Tony's full attention so he took a moment to display his first slide on the screen. "Let's not waste any time then. You've met The Mandarin. Also known as Gene Kahn. Though, he has many more names, he likes Gene Kahn." Tony nodded and glanced down at the folder to pull out Mr. Kahn's dossier.

"Born in China. Parents died while he was just a kid. Yeah, I got the basics. But what's his story? What's with the rings? Where did he get them? How do we stop him?" Tony closed the folder in front of him.

Fury sighed and continued. "He was raised by an aunt. Don't have much information on her, but we know she's the one who molded him to become who he is. Very dark. Very evil. Very clever being. He's grown up thinking that nothing can stop him." Fury turned back to the screen and switched the slide.

"A UFO? What does a UFO have to do with this?"

"Not a UFO, Tony. A ship. The ship where he discovered he could be everything he is now." Tony shrugged, waiting for Fury to explain. "The ship was commanded by…an alien species. The leader of which was strong and powerful. Invincible even. Tales say they crash landed in China where Gene discovered it and what was inside."

"Little green men?" Tony grinned. "I feel like Agent Mulder right now."

"Tony…" Fury shot an annoyed look at him.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes back at Fury.

"It's unknown whether he made contact with any 'little green men', but one thing's for sure, the rings he wears _are_ alien. The powers within were harbored by the species that first owned them."

"How does he have control of them?"

"Kahn became intrigued by their power so he studied them and mastered their abilities."

"Studied them?"

"Yes. He's very smart, Tony. Could rival your level of intelligence."

So many things ran through Tony's head when he heard Fury compare him to The Mandarin. He wanted to say something that would irritate him, but he held back and bit his tongue. The quicker Fury got through his debriefing, the better. So he settled for a quick one liner. "I doubt that."

Fury nodded. "This man is dangerous. The perfect combination of elements for a mastermind of chaos. He considers himself a scientist with unlimited powers. Which is why he's fearless."

"Great. Another psycho." Tony shook his head. "How do we stop him?" Tony reiterated his question from earlier.

A heavy sigh escaped Fury. "Not too sure we can at the moment. You have the technology and armor to keep up with him, but you will never win. He'll counter everything you have with his rings. You saw first-hand what he can do with them."

"I don't accept that answer. There has to be something we can do…something we can come up with to slow him down."

"Let me work on that. For now, keep in mind what and who you are dealing with." He pointed to the file Tony had beneath his palm. "There's a detailed description for each ring he owns. It'll be hard to know which one is which when you are in battle, but at least this way you know what to expect."

Tony glanced down and sighed yet again. "Great. So for now I'm his punching bag."

"No. I would prefer you let this go for a few days. It is not necessary to challenge him right away. We don't need you to get hurt trying to take on this guy without the proper resources. Let us try some things out. _Try_ to stay out of his path for now. Keep an eye on the lab and what they are doing, but do not get noticed."

Easier said than done. It wasn't in Tony's nature to sit back and relax in situations like this. His first instinct was always to get to the bottom of it. Efficiently and confidently. Not wait and observe. Tony was and had always been a 'do now think later' type of person. It didn't always work out in his favor, but his gift of solving problems went far beyond literal mathematics, and it allowed him to comfortably act on his moments of spontaneity.

"I can't promise anything. I just want this guy stopped and locked away from…everyone he can harm." A rare moment of weakness was present in his eyes as he straightened the sleeves of his leather jacket.

"Now is not the time to act on emotions, Stark. You've never been one to do that in the first place. Don't start now." Fury warned him softly.

"Sure thing Patchy. Whatever you say. Just be aware that if he comes anywhere near Pepper, I will not stand down. I will handle him then and there no matter what he can and cannot do to me." Tony retorted with a smirk.

Fury knew arguing with Tony on such a matter would be futile. He would never win that battle, but he did want to get him thinking about the potential consequences of letting his emotions get in the way. "What are you willing to give up to protect her, Stark? How far are you willing to go?"

Tony was silent for a while, and when he looked up at Fury, he shook his head from side to side and shrugged. "I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do for her."

Fury nodded after he made his way to the door from which they entered. He turned slowly to look back at Tony.

"So what do we know about him and his involvement with nanotechnology? What does he want with it?" He changed the subject.

"We have a few of our own people involved with nanotech looking into that. We're pulling someone into the assignment. Someone with an extensive background in the field. Have them get in with Kahn as an undercover scientist."

"Too dangerous." Tony shook his head.

"We have no other option." Fury countered sternly.

A nod escaped Tony. "I hope your scientist is ready to see what is going on behind closed doors."

"My scientist is more than ready. She's more than qualified. Don't worry about her. She'll do her part. You just do yours."

"She? At the expense of sounding sexist, you're brining in a woman to go undercover into Kahn's labs?" His eyes widened.

Nick grinned. "You did sound sexist." He shook his head. "You should know better than anyone that a woman is very capable of doing a man's job."

"Trust me Nick, I know." The chair he sat in rolled back as he moved to stand. "I'm sure she's intelligent and capable of getting us what we need, but this is a dangerous mission. You'd be putting her life in jeopardy."

"Like I said. Don't worry about her. She's the best in her field. And as far as her safety goes, we will have our people around to help her should she get into any trouble. Kahn is a man, just like any other, a beautiful woman…who could also match his passion for science will work to our advantage."

Tony shook his head. "Your call, Fury." Just then his phone vibrated in his pocket and he reached in to pull it out. "Are we done here?" He kept his eyes trained on the screen.

"Yes. Study up on Kahn. It'll benefit you in the long haul to know his tactics and his weak points."

As Tony turned to walk out with the file in hand Fury stopped him. "Tony…" He turned back to face him. "We'll keep an eye on Pepper. He won't hurt her."

Fury's statement caught Tony by surprise. The director of SHIELD was not one to make anyone feel better. Especially not by offering to 'keep an eye' on anyone that wasn't part of his missions. Tony nodded with not only the surprise evident on his face, but with a look of resolve as well. "No he won't." Turning the nob he nodded one last time before walking out. He talked to Fury as the door closed with his back to it, "I hope you can keep an eye on _your_ girl, too."

He saw the elevator doors close before he pulled his phone out to glance at the text that had come through earlier. _Tony, I know it's been a while. Don't ask how I got your number…hahaha. I'm in town, got a job out here. Let's meet so we can catch up._

It was too much of a coincidence. Tony shook his head and rubbed his palm over his face as he read the number on the screen. 'This is bad.' He thought to himself.

**To be continued…**

**So who do you guys think this mystery texter is? I'd like to know because I have no idea. ;-P I totally do, though. See you guys soon!**

**P.S. I watched Skyfall this weekend and guess what trailer came on. Yup! IT looks even better on the big screen!**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own. I do not own. I do not own. I wish I did. I wish I did. I wish I did.

Author's Note: I know it's been two weeks. I know. I apologize. The holiday did not let me get a chapter up. It was a bit chaotic (but fun), but I'm back! I will continue to write it out and post regularly. Just keep reading! Sorry for any mistakes. Side note…people have messaged me asking for more Pepperony. It is coming, I promise. This _is_ me you're talking to…HUGE Pepperony supporter! Please enjoy.

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Kahn watched with arms clasped behind the glass windows as his researchers prepped their areas.

The lab on the opposite side was brightly lit with plain sterile walls. Medical and technical equipment was neatly interspersed around the scientists. A team of five men walked from their spots around the room to gather around a computer near the corner of the workspace.

"Serum 1011 looks to be an improvement from the last trial." One of the men spoke as he looked over the top of his glasses at the screen.

"I concur with Richard's assessment." One of his colleagues pointed to the screen. "Seems to have bonded well with the chromosome in question."

"Don't get too optimistic, Daniel." An older man holding a clipboard spoke without looking up from where he jotted some notes. "We thought serum 1009 was the one. Where we fix one bond, another one is broken. We have to be prepared for another failure."

"You sure are pessimistic for being a top-level scientist." Richard turned to eye him curiously.

"This is all trial and error. I am not one to jump with glee at a solved variable. I will only be satisfied until we see every single chromosome has bonded successfully with the serum." Michael spoke.

The other men nodded quietly in agreement. Richard shrugged, still taking pride in the fact that they had had a breakthrough. However small.

"Are we ready?" Kahn questioned through the intercom as he overlooked the exchange.

Michael turned and nodded. "Yes, sir." He looked back to Daniel signified with a lift of his head that he could proceed as planned.

The team walked to their stations to retrieve certain pieces of equipment. Richard in particular walked to stand beside a plain operating table. On it was a limp corpse completely covered with a medical sheet. He moved to uncover the body to reveal a man with an unkempt beard and ragged hair.

"Test subject is approximately forty years in age. Muscle tone is hardly present. Initial medical examination revealed no diseases or ailments aside from malnutrition." He read from a file he held in his hand.

"Alright. Let's begin." Michael waited for his colleague to wheel a cart over with a tray that held syringes and several vials. "Make sure the restraints are in place, John."

"Restraints are secure." He responded after he examined the leg and arm cuffs.

"Vitals, Leonard?"

The man kept a close eye on the monitor. "Steady."

"I will prep the serum now." Michael nodded. As he grabbed a syringe and a vial Daniel moved to switch a camera on. Everything was being documented. From start to end. "We are ready." With one last look at Kahn, and getting a relaxed nod of approval, the man went to sanitize a spot on the patient's neck. He made sure air pockets were out before he inserted the needle into the man's tissue. "Vitals?"

Leonard examined the screen before him for a while before he responded. "They look steady. Minor acceleration in heart beat." He paused to look at the screen more keenly. He looked up with a grin on his face. "Vitals are steady."

A collective sigh of relief was heard around the room as the team moved closer to examine the patient. "How long until we see the effects, Michael?" Kahn asked with a blank expression.

The leader looked up from the many charts he was beginning to fill out with data from the monitor. "Should be seeing them in about two minutes, sir." He looked back to his charts. "John, get the IV ready and set." John nodded and did as was requested.

"Two minutes and thirty-two seconds after introduction of nanotech serum into the body." Richard looked up over his glasses at Michael.

"Leonard?" Michael asked.

"Vitals are still looking steady."

"Sir, looks like this one has worked." Michael looked at Kahn once again.

"Are we sure?" Kahn unclasped his hands from behind his back and glanced at his watch. "Where are the effects? At this point we should have seen the body's reactions to it. I see no change."

"Yes, sir, but we also have yet to see…what we usually see. This man's heart rate is steady. He has survived initial injection effects."

"Michael, wait." Richard interrupted their conversation. "Look."

Michael turned and observed what was happening. "Muscle mass is increasing! Leonard?" He asked as his eyes grew wide and a smile surfaced on his face.

Leonard sighed before he shook his head. "His vitals are off the charts, Michael! We're losing him."

"No!" Michael rushed to the monitor. "No, this is normal. This could be the one!" His eyes darted across the monitor. "John, push more into the IV. Come on push it!"

John injected the IV with a syringe. "All in."

Michael looked back down to the monitor. "How long, Richard?"

"Four minutes eleven seconds."

"Muscle mass increase seems to have stopped." John looked down to the patient. His body, once scrawny and frail, now possessed extremely toned limbs and a chiseled chest.

"Vitals are beginning to come down. Heartbeat, blood pressure, temperature. All back to normal." Michael said through a smile. "All signs point to a successful bond." He looked up to his team and nodded. "We did it. We found the serum."

As he began to walk towards the cart where his charts lay, John gasped aloud. "Michael! Look at his skin!"

With a swift motion he spun around to look at the man's purple skin. "No, no, no." Michael touched several spots on the man's legs and arms. The man's body was hard to the touch as his blood solidified within him. "It can't be. He was doing well. He did well!" His temper was out of control as he shook his head.

"He's gone. No heartbeat." Leonard's shoulders slumped, and he rested his weight on his arms atop the monitor table.

"No!" Michael shouted. "John get the paddles!"

John shook his head with defeat. "It didn't work, Mike. You said it yourself. Be prepared for another failure. It didn't work."

"It was working. He made it further than the rest."

"But he's dead now. So we take the data, analyze it and his blood and we move on to the next."

Heaviness hung over the team as they all sighed in frustration. Leonard laughed darkly as he slammed his palms on the table. "Damn it!"

"Alright. Clean up. Study what you got from this one and get a report to me in twenty four hours." Kahn looked at them from the window before he got confirmation that they had heard him and walked away calmly.

"Call the team to take the body." Richard spoke to Daniel before he turned to face his colleague. "We did well, Mike. We're so close now. I can feel it."

He nodded. "Let's go evaluate the data."

The scientists cleaned up the lab before they all walked out into the long corridor.

**To be continued…**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own them.

Author's Note: Thank you guys for your support! I finally got a chance to reply to your reviews and catch up on my emails. Sorry for the delay, and for any mistakes you might find in here. Keep reading, I'll keep writing!

* * *

Pepper was irate.

How could Tony ever think that sending her away was the best option? Ever.

"But I'll know you're safe if you stay with your parents while this blows over. I can't have you hanging around. What if they use you to get to me? You know that's how this works." Tony argued with her to try and make her see things his way.

"We're stronger together than apart. You know it, and I know it." She retorted while she looked down at her feet. She was afraid to look at him and what she would see in his eyes. Perhaps fear. Worry.

"You're so damn stubborn." He grinned at her.

"So are you. How many times have I tried to talk you out of going after this guy on your own?" She questioned with raised eyebrows. She knew he had no argument there. He only nodded and silence held the room for a few still moments.

"Pepper, I just want you to be safe. That is my number one concern. I'm not taking this guy down for Fury. I just…I hope I can protect the one thing I can't live without." Tony sighed deeply and looked down to fidget with his watch as Pepper stared at him from the entrance of the workshop.

She shook her head slowly. "I know, Tony. But if something happens to you…what am _I_ supposed to do then? We've been through this before. You're all I have, too."

Tony looked up and smiled sadly at his redhead. A strong need to have her near came over him as he walked towards her. He embraced her and exhaled. "I'd give my last breath if I knew it would help keep you alive."

Tears threatened Pepper as they slowly built up in her eyes. "I wouldn't want you to. Living in a world where you didn't exist would no longer appeal to me."

It took all of Pepper's will power not to cry. She never liked to cry. Especially in front of Tony. Not because she thought he would see her as weak, but because he would worry more than he had to. So instead of crying, Pepper talked. Lectured, really. Until Tony got the point. And being the man that he was, one that respected her opinions and loved her resiliency, he at least listened to what she had to say.

She had known all along what she would be getting into if she gave into him. Being with him was a continuous rollercoaster ride. One she never wanted to get off of. Even if it did make her a bit queasy at times, and the risk of a disastrous malfunction was ever present. The majority of the ride was fun, exhilarating, and fulfilling. Yet she knew that without him on it, it would be just another cheap thrill. And she didn't want that. She always worried he would leave her to ride through life on her own, but she rarely liked to show it. Unless she knew there was a real chance it could happen.

After she calmed herself by breathing deeply against his neck, she pulled back to look at him. Before she could say anything, Tony interrupted her. "I'll be careful, but I'm not going to back down. I'm not afraid of them, I'm only afraid of losing you."

Pepper sighed in frustration. He was persistent when it came to her wellbeing. "Don't do this on your own, Tony." She caressed his cheek.

"There's no one else that can fight my battles for me."

"This isn't your battle. You're being selfish. This is everyone's battle. It's not about you. It's not even about me." She paused to gauge his reaction. "Get the team to help you out."

He shook his head. "Thor is in Asgard dealing with a lunatic who thinks he can rule the realms of the universe. Bruce left to Calcutta shortly after the awards celebration. Steve is in New York on an assignment. And the two spies are out spying in…wherever they like to spy."

"Call Rhodey." Pepper stated flatly.

The idea was not totally dismissed by Tony. A small comfort resided within her. Perhaps he would consider it. "Rhodey's the Air Force's mascot now. He doesn't have time to help." Not much luck. Pepper wanted to smirk. She should have known better than to think he would agree to it right off the bat.

"He's our friend. He'll help."

Tony grinned before he nodded. "I'll talk to him."

She knew that it was a start. So Pepper chose not to continue pushing him. A little at a time was good enough for her. A small smile spread across her face before they both moved in for a kiss.

He wanted so much to feel her. To know that she was safe and alive in his arms. Naturally, he deepened the kiss. Her hands wound around his shoulders to pull him closer. His weren't idle as they clung to her at her lower back.

"Sir…" Jarvis began to say, but Tony jumped in right away to prevent any further disruption.

"Not now, Jarvis." He managed to mumble with his lips against Pepper's. She chuckled into their kiss.

"Sir I believe that…"

"Jarvis!" Tony rolled his eyes this time, but never separated from the woman in his arms.

"Tony!" A very familiar voice shouted into the intercom that was located at the front door.

Splendid timing. Tony huffed as he dropped his hands from Pepper's waist and looked at her smiling face. "Seriously…this timing thing." He shook his head. "Platypus, what do you want?" Speak of the devil.

"Are you going to let me in or do I have to stand out here in the cold some more?" Rhodey's face was contorting to show just how cold he actually was.

"Jarvis let him in, please." Pepper spoke when she saw the evil twinkle Tony had in his eyes. He would have let him stand there longer. It was her turn to shake her head with a smile.

It was a few moments later when Rhodey joined them in the workshop after having entered his access code. He stood in front of them grinning from ear to ear as he removed his coat. The couple stared at him with knitted eyebrows. "I'm sorry. I'm still not used to seeing you two together." He chuckled as he witnessed Tony and Pepper holding onto each other.

Pepper smiled and dropped her arms from around Tony's neck to face Rhodey. Tony rolled his eyes at his friend. "You better have a good reason for being down here, Rhodes. I'm this close-" he moved his thumb and index finger close together to signify how close, "-to the edge right now you have no idea what I'm capable of."

Rhodey shook his head and smirked. "Obviously I interrupted something important. Did I come at a bad time?"

"No."

"Yes."

Pepper and Tony countered at the same time as Tony draped an arm around Pepper. She smacked his stomach softly.

"Right." Rhodey walked to sit on the leather couch, making himself more comfortable. A sign that what he had come for was rather important. "So your friend Fury contacted me."

Tony sighed before looking back and forth between Rhodey and Pepper. "He didn't." Tony replied with a 'how dare he' tone of voice.

"He did." Rhodey shrugged and nodded. There was a long silence among the three of them.

"Alright. I think I'm going upstairs to check my ever-growing list of emails. You guys behave." She smiled at the men before she turned to Tony and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Play nice."

Tony smiled as he watched her exit the shop. His eyes didn't move back to Rhodey until she disappeared up the stairs. Rhodey watched amusedly at his long-time friend. A low chuckle could be heard coming from where he sat on the couch.

"What?" Tony's eyes squinted along with his knitted eyebrows.

"Nothing." He shook his head and laughed some more. "Tony Stark is a one-woman man, now."

Tony let out a puff of air and rolled his eyes. He made his way to one of his work stools and sat behind his desk. "I have been…for a long time now…Pepper's the one who…" he faced Rhodey. "But that's none of your business, Platypus." He cleared his throat. "What did Fury want from you?"

The the air in the room became still, and the seriousness of the situation became evident. Rhodey stood and began to pace while he attempted to formulate his thoughts. "He wants me to help you, Tony. I got debriefed by SHIELD."

"No." Tony stated quickly and without real emotion as he typed on his desktop keyboard.

"Hear me out, man." His steps stopped echoing in the shop as he stood still to face him.

"Rhodey. No. You don't work for SHIELD. You have no obligation to them or to Fury. I can handle this."

A bit of anger rose within Rhodey as he walked to stand towering over Tony. "I don't work for SHIELD…I'm an Airman, but I am your friend first. I want to help you out because you would do the same for me. Right?" He tilted his head to try and capture Tony's reaction to his statement. "Right?"

He didn't want to accept help from anyone. Doing so would only mean that one more person would be in danger of losing too much. That was a concept Tony was not comfortable with. The typing stopped when he hung his head and shook it from side to side. A heavy sigh left his lips. "I appreciate the gesture, Rhodey. I do. But this is something that _I_ was told to take care of. I don't want you involved."

Rhodey felt for his friend. It was a burden that Tony was trying to carry all by himself. Again. He did it when his parents died. He did it when he was recovering from Afghanistan. He did it when he was dying of Palladium poisoning. He did it when he carried that nuke out of Manhattan and into space. And now, he was doing it with this latest trial. It seemed Tony was trying to make up for his wrongs.

"Listen man, you have nothing to prove." Rhodey stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. All Tony could do was look up at his friend's statement. His eyes were fixed on him, not believing that he had almost read him down to the core. "You've done so much already. On your own." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "Let someone else in on the glory." Tony chuckled along with him this time.

Between having Pepper ask him to let someone help him, and hearing Rhodey offer him his assistance, Tony nodded in agreement. A few moments passed between them before he stood look at his friend. "Thanks, Rhodes. I'll tell you what, if you want to help, then I have a very important task for you." Rhodey nodded and encouraged Tony to continue. "I need you to work with Nick's people on finding a way to stop this guy."

He knew Fury might not want him hanging around SHIELD headquarters, but Rhodey agreed. "I can do that."

"How much do you know?" He walked over to his suits and asked with his back turned to him.

"The basics. The…Mandarin, right? Super powerful. Has rings of destruction. Likes to experiment with human lives. Doesn't care who he runs over as long as he's left standing. Currently pissed off that you are trying to take down his lab."

Tony nodded and turned around to face him. The expression he wore on his face was serious. "That about covers it. I need something that will help me stand a chance against this guy."

"You don't currently?" He walked to stand beside him as he gestured to the line of suits he owned. "Look at your arsenal."

"Not enough." Tony let out a sigh. "This guy must be stopped. He's not only experimenting with human lives, but he possesses information that could create a weapon more powerful than the suits. I can't let him finish what he's started. I won't. None of us will stand a chance if he succeeds at what he is trying to accomplish."

"What is he trying to accomplish, exactly?"

"Could be anything. But the technology he currently has his hands on could mean that he's about to perfect what everyone else could only dream of starting. Super soldiers."

"Seriously? Again? How many people are going to try that before they give up?"

"This is a bit different than what my dad and others did with Steve. Far more advanced."

"So you want me to stick around SHIELD and see if they're doing their own experiments?"

Tony shook his head. "No. I'll handle that. I think I have a good source for that, actually. Just help SHIELD with your knowledge of weapons and stealth technology. Come up with something." He patted Rhodey on the shoulder. "Looks like joining the Air Force helped for something, bud."

Even at a time like this Tony could find some time to liven up the situation. Rhodey laughed and shook his head. "Sounds good."

**To be continued...**

**102 days! I THINK I can wait. I think I can.**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine. Is this even necessary? It only serves as a reminder of what I wish I did own. *tear*

Author's Note: Thank you so much for your continued interest in this story! I will get to your reviews shortly! Don't think I've forgotten about you all. I am forever thankful. Excuse any mistakes. Enjoy!

* * *

"Jarvis, have you detected any new activity on Truezdail's site?" Tony asked as he kept his eyes trained on an aerial view of the lab.

"No sir. Ever since you made contact with Kahn at his facility, the site has not been updated."

Tony knitted his eyebrows and frowned. "No one's accessed their internal servers? The ghost drive?" He tapped his fingers mindlessly on the surface of his desk.

"Neither, sir."

"Damn." He shook his head and reclined in his seat with a sigh.

"What appears to be the problem, sir?" Jarvis inquired.

"We won't have any access to what they are doing, Jar."

"Why is that, sir?"

Tony released another sigh. "They know I can get into their files despite their best efforts to shut me out. So they've decided to go out outside of their system."

"Another server, sir?"

"Maybe." He glanced at an object on his desk as his eyes moved to the screen before him. "Or a flash drive."

"That would make sense, sir. They will be able to store their data without risking their privacy. It will be nearly impossible to locate a single computer where the syncing of the files is taking place."

"Exactly." Tony huffed and bowed his head as he looked at his phone, which lay still and forgotten on a corner of the table. "Damn." He shook his head. "Jarvis, run a scan on the number saved as Maya Hansen, please."

"What information are you looking for, sir?"

"Anything you can get me. Current address, contacts, recent calls."

"Yes, sir."

Everything in that genius brain of his warned him not to contact her. Not only had it been years since they had spoken, but now she could possibly be the scientist Fury had hired to work undercover with Kahn. A dangerous mission he wouldn't want _any_ friend to be a part of, and though nothing had existed between them for a long time, he did care about her safety as much as anyone else's.

But Tony knew it was crucial that he see her. Now more than ever, because there was that slight possibility that she could become his greatest ally.

Deep down, he fought himself on his rationale, telling himself that this was no different than involving Pepper and Rhodey. Yet a sliver of comfort came from knowing that she would be safe with Fury and SHIELD. That they were her protectors like he was Pepper's and Rhodey's. So Tony managed to convince himself of his next task.

"Jarvis run that trace while I'm out, please." Tony typed away on his phone as he stood and walked across the room to exit his workshop. _Maya, I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I'm available today. Lunch at Neptunes? 2 o'clock? –Tony _He sighed before he smiled and typed again, this time selecting Pepper's number. _Hey beautiful. I'll be at Neptunes having lunch with an old friend from MIT so don't wait for me at lunchtime. Love you._

* * *

Maya pulled her car into the parking lot of the small roadside dinner that overlooked the ocean. Her tires gripped the asphalt with a certainty that she could not mirror. A mix of emotions circled her and her stomach was tight with a nervousness she cursed at.

"You have arrived to your destination." Her phone's navigation system concluded before she turned it off and waited in the confines and safety of her car.

It took some courage for her to disregard her discomfort before she walked into the dinner. She glanced around the restaurant with hopes of finding Tony already inside. Unfortunately all she saw were bikers sitting in clusters with their men, and two waitresses strewn around assisting them. Fortunately, she would have another few minutes to collect herself for when Tony did make his appearance.

"Hi hun, you can sit anywhere you'd like." One of the waitresses spotted Maya and spoke from where she was taking an order.

"Thank you."

She sat in a corner booth with her coffee in hand as she waited. A gnawing feeling that he might have changed his mind crept into her mind, but she quickly shook it off.

"Home sweet home!" Tony stepped in with arms wide open as he smiled at the people inside.

"Anthony Stark, you were beginning to scare me. I thought maybe you had forgotten about us." The waitress smiled at him. "Come on Susan…never! How could I when you treat me so well." He grinned at her.

"I ought to. I've seen you grow up around here, kid. I've seen you at your worst…and at your best." Tony nodded and looked up to a table of bikers. "That reminds me…Joe, you owe me a bike." He smiled at him and pointed. "I beat you fair and square last time."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The man laughed. "I still want a rematch. My bike was not up to par that night."

"Right." Tony teased. "Maybe I'll only go at three percent power next time, huh." They all laughed when he turned his attention back to Susan the waitress. "Hey listen I'm meeting someone here…" He didn't get to finish before Susan pointed to Maya who sat in the corner sipping her coffee with a smile. "Thanks."

"The usual?" She asked.

"The usual." He spoke over his shoulder as he made his way to where Maya sat.

Tony's steps were as confident as ever, so much so that Maya envied him for it. How could he be so sure of himself, yet she sat feeling like a convoluted mess of emotions? She was sure she knew the answer, but pushed it aside, as far from them as she could. There was no need to complicate the situation any more than it already was. As he moved closer her heart sped up. She wished and hoped that he would not notice. She slowly rose to meet him.

"Still like to make an entrance." She smiled.

"Ms. Maya Hansen." Tony stood with arms outstretched and his head tilted slightly in a pleased motion. He could not deny that he was happy to see her.

"Tony." She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him, but her reservation started to pass when he hugged her back. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise, Maya. It's been too long." He motioned for her to sit before he followed and took his place across from her in the booth. He looked up, "How long has it been?"

"Too long." Was Maya's quick answer.

He nodded. An awkward silence gripped them as they sat facing each other with their heads bowed. "Normally I would have no problem starting a conversation." Tony chuckled.

"I know. Same here." Maya took the opportunity to sip her coffee. Another moment of silence. "Lets not make this uncomfortable." She laughed.

"Got it." He grinned and shifted in the booth to make himself more comfortable. "So Maya, what the heck are you doing in Los Angeles? Last I heard you were moving to Georgia."

Maya's smile faded and was replaced with a small frown. "Yeah. I did move to Georgia." She nodded as she recalled her reason for moving there in the first place. A light pang of anger rose inside her from seeing the way he nonchalantly mentioned it to her.

"How was that?" Tony continued.

"It was…humid." She finally smiled.

"I hear humidity does wonders for a woman's hair." He teased.

"Oh yeah!" She feigned excitement. "A girl's best friend."

Tony chuckled when Susan placed his 'usual' order in front of him. "Thank you, Susan."

"Not a problem. How 'bout you hun, ready to order some food?" She turned to Maya.

"Oh…I think I'll just have a tuna salad, please."

Susan nodded. "Coming right up." Tony smiled at Susan as he took a forkful of spaghetti. "Will Pepper be joining us, sweetie?" Susan asked Tony.

He swallowed his food before he shook his head, already wrapping more past on the fork. "Not today, Suse. She's still at the office."

"That's too bad. I made her favorite." She smiled and turned to walk away. "I'll just have to pack you a doggie bag for her." She winked over her shoulder.

"You're the best." Tony replied and turned to look at Maya who looked amused at the exchange. A slow grin surfaced from deep within him.

"Pepper?" She pushed the subject on him. He raised his eyebrows at her curiosity. It was no surprise to her that she felt a tinge of sadness at how his whole being lit up at the sound of that name. She could not recall him ever responding like that for her. A small amount of regret then invaded her as she chastised herself for her reaction, trying to convince herself that their past was truly ancient history, and that he was no longer part of her life. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry. Forget it."

Tony nodded as he continued to eat. He shrugged and set his fork down to look up at the woman across from him. "If you _must_ know, Pepper is…my girlfriend…" he paused and thought about his words and shook his head. "Not my girlfriend. Um, my lady…nope…" Maya chuckled at him as he sighed and gathered his thoughts to formulate the best answer he could. "She's…well she's perfect." He shrugged again. "No one has stuck by me like her. She's been through hell with me, and I would do the same for her."

Maya nodded in understanding. "I think I know what you're trying to convey. She must be a tough one to deal with you." She teased. "Wait, you're not forcing her, right? Is she sane?" She teased some more, but Tony rolled his eyes at her attempt at a joke. She raised her hands in defeat. "I apologize. She sounds like a brave woman." She took some salad into her mouth. "Is Pepper really her name?" She knitted her eyebrows at him.

He shook his head. "My name for her."

"Kinky." She laughed.

"Stop." He shut his eyes and shook his head in complete disgust. Surprisingly.

"You haven't changed." She commented.

"I have actually. More than you know. I think you're the one who hasn't changed." He threw right back. "Kinky?" He chuckled. "Don't go there again, please."

"Can you blame me? I learned from the best, Tony." She spoke the truth. Her material was a culmination of the years they spent at MIT. His quick remarks. The annoying sarcasm. All of the obscene one-liners. She credited all to Tony Stark.

"Do what you must, but never about me and her." He shook his head before he cleared his throat. "Virginia…" he spoke through a mouthful of pasta. Tony looked up at her and saw her confused face. "Her name is Virginia Potts."

Maya's face showed she was impressed. "Very sophisticated name. Not your usual type."

"Things change."

She could not deny that a small part of her was happy for him. Because he had managed to experience that so called change. For the best, it seemed. She hoped that he was happier than she was with her life. "So I've heard."

They continued to eat their respective meals as a silence loomed over them. Not an uncomfortable one. More than that. One that spoke volumes. Of an understanding and an accepting of pasts and futures.

Tony was the first to finish his lunch, and he broke the silence when he had nothing else to focus on. "So how about you? Anybody nab you off the market, yet?"

Maya smiled sadly at him. "Um, no." Tony's head dropped to avoid her pained expression. "I was…before I came out here." She shrugged it off as if it no longer mattered.

"I'm sorry." He apologized and sipped some iced tea. "Do you…would you like to…talk about it?"

"No!" Maya was quick to reply. "The last thing I want to do is spill my guts to you. That could ruin my reputation. You know how it goes." She smiled genuinely at him.

"Right. How could I forget?" He teased. "Maya Hansen- ever toying with men's emotions, never committing, always living life on the wild side." They shared in a laugh.

"Hardly." She huffed. "But we'll stick to that. Keeping up appearances and what not." He nodded amazed at her banter. She really had learned a lot from him, and he was pleased with the fact that it made his life easier knowing he could spit out inappropriate innuendos and not have to worry about lawsuits. "So…Iron Man, what's new?"

He grinned widely at her calling him by his 'superhero' name. "So you've heard about me becoming an international symbol of bravery and unrelenting brawn?" He flashed her another grin. "I'm impressed."

"Oh shush."

"I like knowing that my awesomeness makes its way around the globe. Not that I didn't know that already, mind you. You can't contain my magnificence. It's impossible."

Maya rolled her eyes playfully at Tony before she shook her head at his narcissism. "Ok…" she raised her eyebrows and sipped on her now-cold coffee. "I think I'm all caught up now." She laughed. "No need to go any further." They laughed.

"So…" he turned serious as he scrunched up his sweater sleeves. "What really brought you out here?" He pried. "Are you on a self-discovering journey?"

She laughed softly and his serious expression was now also reflected on her face. "I'm out here on an assignment."

"With the CDC?" He questioned. Tony had a feeling her answer would be a clear negative.

"Not exactly. Well, I can't tell you much." When Maya saw Tony's face she continued. "I'd like to, but then I'd have to kill you."

Tony leaned forward with his elbows on the table, a smirk on his face. "How about I guess." He offered her.

"You're good, but you're not _that_ good." She countered.

"Try me, Hansen." Tony's challenge was gladly accepted by her equally as wide grin. She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her. "Ok." He cracked his fingers. "Secret mission."

"Obviously, genius."

"Having to do with your expertise in microbiology."

"Really, Sherlock?"

"You were hired by…a special division. Not really government."

She uncrossed her arms in curiosity and encouraged him to continue.

"Could be dangerous."

"Maybe."

"Undercover."

"I cannot confirm nor deny that." She smiled.

He leaned back in his seat to relax his posture. "Ah, I'm getting really close."

"Perhaps."

"To do what? Cure cancer under the radar?" He added in the joke to throw her off.

"I wish. Still working on that."

"So then to steal someone else's formulas for curing cancer."

"Not even close Iron Boy."

He pouted playfully. "Don't be condescending." He scratched his head in mock thought. "I got it!" He clapped his hands together and leaned in to whisper. "You're working undercover to take down some evil genius who's conspiring to rule the world with zombies."

She laughed and leaned in herself. "No. But that was close."

Tony nodded. "So no zombies. Yeah, I thought that was a long shot." He looked around to supposedly gather his thoughts. "You're undercover to bring down an evil genius who's a modern-time equivalent of Frankenstein...trying to be the first one to successfully have a breakthrough in science by creating this planet's perfect species." He waited for her reaction with a victorious grin.

Maya sat in awe.

**To be continued…**

**Ok so I have some action coming up soon. I'm very excited about it. Stick around!**

**So that Iron Man 3 extended spot was great! Tony Stark peered into my soul, and I didn't mind it one bit! "Extensive rather than extended…" love that guy. So who's excited?! *raises hand and jumps*. Who's interested in helping me make a time machine? May 3****rd**** here we come! P.S. I still cannot find Pepper in that Air Force One scene! Some of you...you know who you are...have got me so anxiously searching for her! :-) Help!**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I now own a little part of Stark Industries...not really. Techinically. I guess. But not officially. Or legally. Anyway, not mine.

Notes: You all blow my mind with the support. I greatly and sincerely appreciate every reader. I apologize if I have not replied to your reviews. I will get to them. I promise. Also, I hope to be updating more often because let's face it, when Iron Man 3 comes out, I will be totally biased and no longer original with my words. They will probably be heavily riddled with movie references. And though I love to do that, I want to keep this story as much of me as I can. So wish me luck with the updates! Sorry for any mistakes!

* * *

The office was dark. All lights were off, except for the single small desk lamp that currently illuminated his paperwork. His colleagues had all opted to go home after they realized the clock had struck three in the morning, and they still had yet to find the missing piece to their puzzle. He could not deny that the morale was low, and he often felt like walking away from it all, but that was not like him. It was not in his nature to give up on anything. Michael was damned if he was going to start now.

So he stayed. Despite the fatigue and blurred vision he was fighting against.

An exasperated sigh broke the eerie silence as he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to refocus on the values displayed about his data sheets. "Come on, Mike." He encouraged himself.

"I need results." The voice caused Mike to jump in his seat and turn to where it came from. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness he was met with.

"I-I didn't hear you come in, Kahn." He squinted as he struggled to make out the man's figure. No shadow. No sign of another person in the room. Almost as if the voice had come from thin air.

Kahn stood in the corner of the room with his hands firmly at his sides. His face emotionless and his eyes trained on his disciple. "Exactly."

"I-I don't understand." The scientist shook his head with worry.

"Your focus is elsewhere." He slowly stepped forward. Enough to allow the faint glow from the desk lamp to reflect off his dress shoes. "I need attentive workers. Who will be productive and efficient."

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat as he straightened in his chair. "I apologize. It will not happen again."

"I know it will not." Kahn clasped his hands before him. "Effective immediately I'm making you second chair."

"Second chair?" Michael's heart dropped as he heard the man's words. All of his devotion had been in vain. "I promise I will get you the results you seek. Just don't take me off of this trial. I can be efficient. You know I can. As second chair I'll have no real value to you. I'll just be an…assistant."

The man wanted to continue his defense, but Kahn unclasped his hands to put one up in the air and silence him. "Do not beg. Never beg. A real man pleads with no one. Kneels before no one."

Michael's eyes fell towards the floor. "But, Kahn…"

Kahn clasped his hands again, this time behind his back as he turned to walk out. "I need more test subjects. Do everything you can to get me more test subjects. I trust you will remain professional and committed to the cause." He sensed Michael's anger as he opened the door to the dark hallway. He turned his head to look one last time at him. "Do not fail me, Michael. You do not want to end up on the wrong side of this."

* * *

"I expected this to be easier." Nick Fury walked frustrated around the work table where his scientist and Rhodey currently worked over engineering designs on a computer.

Rhodey looked up to meet his eyes with a grin. "This _is_ easier. Would you like to have Tony work on this instead? I assure you he will make it…less easy…and less pleasant for you." He warned.

The look on Fury's face was priceless. An almost pout was evident as he shook his head, knowing full well that the Airman was right. Having Tony around the headquarters, on a daily basis, was something both Fury and Tony eagerly avoided.

Fury stared at the screen along with the two men, but quickly became disinterested and confused. He cleared his throat before he left their side to walk out of the room. "Let me know when you guys have something."

"Is he always so…uptight?" Rhodey laughed as he looked to the SHIELD scientist.

The man laughed and nodded his head. "You'll get used to it." He smiled before he continued to type in values and altered the design before them.

A sigh escaped Rhodey as he looked at his watch. "What do you say we work on this for another hour? I need some food." The man nodded.

Minutes passed as they continued to brainstorm on a possible weapon that could render The Mandarin weak. Rhodey input some data, and waited for the change to take effect on the screen. He smiled victoriously.

"Wow. Great call." The man clapped him on the back. "We have what it will look like, but what will it do exactly?"

Rhodey leaned back in his seat. "We'll have to keep working on that, but I might have some ideas.

They studied the computer screen for minutes before Rhodey's phone rang. "Oh boy."

* * *

Pepper gazed out at the water as she leaned on the balcony rail. The ripples broke the deep blue into diamonds of bright orange as the sunset neared. The ocean breeze gently blew her hair, and she made a point to inhale as much of it as she could. She closed her eyes to revel in the moment.

"May I join you?" Tony leaned on the doorway to their private balcony with his arms crossed.

Pepper jumped a bit at the sound of his voice, but quickly recovered as she nodded without looking at him.

He walked towards the rail and stood next to her with his shoulder touching hers. Out of sheer contentment he sighed and angled his head to look up at the sky above them. "It's a nice day isn't?" Pepper spoke after some silence.

"Yes it is." Tony nodded, still looking up the sky. He smiled and moved to look at his girl. She was still. Her eyes glued to the ocean. Strands of her hair waved off to the side before her eyes. "Pepper…" His heart rate increased when he realized something could be wrong. That perhaps she hadn't walked out to enjoy the landscape, but to breathe a sigh of relief. Relief from something. From everything.

"Hmm?" Her blue eyes never parted from the salty waves.

"What's the matter?" He turned his body towards her.

"Nothing. Why?" She sounded convincing enough, but he did not hesitate to pry.

"You seem…distant. What's on your mind?"

"I'm alright." She smiled, but not directly at him.

Tony's head dropped. He was never really a man who paid attention to women's emotions. If it did not pertain to how a woman felt physically, he could avoid it altogether. That's just how he was. Detached, and only preoccupied with satisfaction of the most basic and primal kind.

But it was different now. He was different. He was curious to know Pepper. Inside and out. Including what her mind and heart told her. "Potts." Tony finally whispered as he lifted his gaze and found she had broken her connection with the water to meet his. "I'd like to know what you're thinking."

A small smiled appeared on her face as she heard his comment. He always surprised her with how tender and straight forward he could be when he was serious. She fell deeper for the man that stood before her just then. "There's no one like you in this universe." She shook her head and smiled broadly at him.

Tony's first reaction to her comment was to raise his eyebrows with wide eyes. Her bold statement caught him a bit off guard. His second reaction was a smile that was not arrogant, but affectionate instead. "You know, I can and will say the same is true about you." He took her small hands in his.

They stared at each other before Pepper moved in to kiss him tenderly. Tony tried his best to keep his mind on what he had asked her, but she made it a difficult task when she pulled his face closer to hers. Almost on natural instinct he moved his hands to wrap around her lower back. Sighs and moans escaped them as they continued to pull each other closer.

Pepper was first to pull back out of breath. She leaned her forehead on his with closed eyes. Tony took the time to breathe in not only the salty air, but her scent as well. Which spun all around him in the breeze, and still he could not get enough.

He calmed his raging heart and lightly squeezed her hips. "Nice diversionary tactic, Pepper." He chuckled softly. "I've taught you well." He opened his eyes to look at her closed ones. She grinned.

"I know a thing or two. Don't claim too much credit."

Tony nodded against her forehead. "You're remarkable." He proudly smiled at her confidence and at knowing that she was purely Pepper. Not a hint of anyone else but her. She was the woman she was because she chose to be.

They quietly stood there. Eyes closed.

In the middle of the breeze, with no one and nothing but the sun and the sound of waves to be witnesses to their moment, Pepper hugged him tightly. "I have this nagging feeling that something will go wrong." She whispered.

He sighed deeply before he pulled her closer still. And as he held securely onto her body, with a hand loosely tangled in her hair, he shook his head remorsefully. Deep down he cursed himself for putting her through the ordeal that was his life. Yet they both new they would not have it any other way. He could not…would not…live without her. And she was tied to his soul so deeply that she could not envision ever leaving his side. "We're going to be alright, Pep. I promise." He moved to kiss her temple. "I will do everything I can."

She believed him. And she could not help but feel relieved and afraid all at the same time, but she nodded anyway. "You don't have to do it alone. I'm right here with you." Pepper turned her head enough to kiss his cheek before she buried her face in his neck. Allowing herself to feel safe, cocooned in his embrace.

"Sir." Jarvis' voice erupted through the outdoor communications system.

Tony and Pepper both sighed sadly, knowing that their hold on each other would have to be broken. "What is it, J?" Tony looked at Pepper apologetically.

"I'm detecting a spike in radiation levels at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, sir."

The couple looked at each other with knitted brows. "Damage to the plant?" He asked.

"No sir. I can't get an accurate cause at the moment, but the readings on their instruments have shot through the roof."

Pepper looked up at Tony who appeared to be processing the information. "Go suit up, Shellhead."

Tony laughed. "Good one." He kissed her one last time before he walked towards their bedroom. "Shellhead." He repeated it and grinned. "I like it. You coming?" He spun around to look at her. "I could use some help with the neoprene suit." He winked.

Pepper shook her head. "You're unbelievable." She spoke under her breath as she followed him in.

* * *

Rhodey rose from his chair and walked away to answer his phone. He knew who it was, which led to the rubbing of his temple in worry. "What's up Tony?"

"Hey! Rhodey, um, I'm on my way to Japan. Do you think you can keep an eye on Pepper?" Tony flew across the Pacific towards his destination.

"She doesn't need a babysitter, Tony. She's a big girl." Rhodey shook his head.

"I'm not saying you have to tuck her in while I'm out. Just call her and let her know if she needs anything she can call you." Tony rolled his eyes wishing Rhodey could see him.

"Alright." Rhodey laughed, picturing his friend rolling his eyes at him. "What's in Japan?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"The Fukushima nuclear power plant." Tony stated mater-of-factly.

Rhodey's eyes went wide. "What? Why are you headed to the power plant?" He tried to hide the concern in his voice.

"Jarvis alerted me of some high levels of radiation. I need to go check them out. Make sure everything's alright."

"Be careful, Tony."

"Aren't I always?" Tony joked as he increased his speed towards his destination. Rhodey shook his head and disconnected the call.

* * *

The men in lab coats walked briskly towards the unmarked van that waited for them at the gate. It's driver anxiously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Let's go. We don't know how long it'll take him to realize it's a false alarm. We have to do this now!" Michael shouted to the others.

"Why are you so worried? We've gotten test subjects before without him noticing." Richard voiced with curiosity as he boarded the vehicle.

"He wasn't yet aware we existed. He hadn't made the move to come out to the lab himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got eyes on the streets right now. He's into that high tech stuff. We need two test subjects. We get them. We leave." He removed his coat and opted for a plain black sweater and a Yankees baseball cap.

His team followed along as they too removed their obvious white coats and dressed in plain sweaters.

* * *

It was an hour later when Rhodey decided he wanted to make sure Pepper was alright. He decided between driving to the mansion and suiting up in the War Machine. After some pondering, he chose to fly there to avoid traffic.

His flight was smooth and uninterrupted until he coasted above a stretch of alleyway. "Colonel, there seems to be trouble directly below you." Rhodey looked down while he asked to reduce speed. His heads up display located several individuals in the obscure and dark alley in what looked to be a scuffle.

"How many?" He asked Jarvis.

"Including the driver of the van, six, sir."

"Alright, let's check it out, Jarvis." Rhodey readied himself to land as he quickly made his way towards the situation.

The metallic thud that Rhodey's armor created when he landed echoed in the darkness. Michael, Richard, and Leonard all stopped wrestling with the men as they heard the dreaded sound.

"Shit!" Michael looked up towards Rhodey. "What the hell?" He stated in confusion. Where he thought he would see the gold and red armor of Iron Man, a very patriotic colored armor stood tall.

**To be continued…**

**My fellow readers, we are getting ever so close to the premiere of Iron Man 3. 55 days and counting. Are you all ready? Who's doing midnight? I know I am. I have even purchased a Stark Industries t-shirt for the occasion. Been doing it for every film so far (IM, IM2, The Avengers, and now IM3). Thanks for sticking around despite my odd updating schedule. Love you all!**

**P.S. if you hear a story about someone who broke YouTube from watching the Iron Man 3 Trailer 2 so much...it was not me. ;-))=**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not mine. But the words are!

AN: 28 days! I can hardly wait! So here's what I do to make it a little less painful (while I stare at my countdown). I have another chapter ready, but the more I read it, the more I dissect it. I will try against everything to get that up before the end of Sunday (here in L.A.) On another note, I took the Japanese from google translate, I apologize if it totally helped me butcher the language instead. Please feel free to correct me so I may change the wording. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to my favorite superhero of all time, the irreplaceable and un contended Robert Downey Jr.! You don't know me, but I can honestly say that I wish you did! You'd like me...I'm sure of it. :-)

* * *

Tony landed, violently cracking the foundation beneath him.

Screaming alarms echoed as he searched for smoke, toppled structures, fire. Anything to help him identify the cause of the chaos. He shook his head in confusion as he was met with nothing. He walked forward and hoped he would come across a worker that could help him understand the situation. "Help me out J. Where am I going?"

"The main control room is thirty yards ahead to your left."

Clad in his Mark VII he walked to the building. His eyes darted around as his heads up display scanned the area for any personnel. He rounded the corner of the building when two men in lab coats slammed open the doors and ran to him. Mumbled and incoherent words flowed from them in a panic.

"Slow down." Tony tried to pacify them, signaling with both hands to stop flailing. "I can't understand what you're saying." He shook his head.

The two men continued their frightened rambling and pointed back towards the building.

"Yukkuri shite." Tony continued to urge them to slow down as they spoke. He understood the language, but he found it hard to understand the men as they talked over each other.

One of the men finally exhaled to calm himself, and spoke. "Tasukete."

Tony spoke under his breath. "I can't help if I don't know what's going on." He walked to the man and continued. "Nani ga atta ka?"

Both men shrugged at his question. Neither knew what was happening. Tony sighed and lifted his face plate. "What happened?" He asked again. This time a bit more frustrated than before. When he saw neither man would answer he shook his head and walked towards the building as he closed his face plate.

He hurried along the hallways and searched inside the red-lit interior for other workers. His metal feet clanked along as he walked past empty offices and rooms. Tony turned around when he was stopped by a man shouting for him from behind.

"Iron Man!" The man's English was broken, but understandable. Tony sighed; glad that he could speak more at ease.

Quickly he spun to face the man and made his way to him. "What happened! What's going on?" Tony yelled metallically.

"The levels. They are high. I do not know why." He wiped some sweat from his face with the back of his hand. "Come." He gestured for Tony to follow.

They arrived into a room. Normally the fluorescent lights would illuminate the inside, but it was dim. Only two emergency lights were on above the entry door, and a red light would flash on and off periodically. Tony didn't mind dangerous scenarios, but this particular scene made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"The rods." The man pointed to a room with a glass window where the cooling rods could be seen. "The levels. They say it is too hot."

Tony nodded as he studied the gauge before them. The needle bounced in the red zone wildly. "What can we do to cool them?" He asked.

The man shook his head. "They are not hot." He shrugged.

"I don't understand." He knitted his brows. "Do we have a problem or not?" Tony continued.

"The water. It is not boiling. We do not need to cool them." He pointed to the window again. "The problem is we do not know what is causing the false measurements. If it is a system issue, we need to evacuate the entire sector. Because we cannot assume everything is ok."

"I was told your radiation levels were spiking." Tony turned his head to face the man.

"Those levels are false too." He breathed out in relief. "The Geiger Counter readings were normal. We have checked four times. Nothing above normal."

Tony placed his gauntlet clad palms on his face. He wished he could rub his face, but he did not want to lift his face plate. "I'm getting too old for this." Tony shook his head as he spoke to himself. "How long will it take to run diagnostics?"

"Twenty four hours for initial data. Then technical computer analysts will also come and run their own studies. I cannot say a time."

"I can help clear out a radius." Tony stood tall. "Where are your safe zones."

"Come. I will show you." The man walked him towards a wall of maps.

They studied them intently as he pointed to the routes and zones until a menacing computerized laugh came from behind them. The worker stopped moving, his finger halfway between zones on the map as he moved his head to look at the computer screen behind them.

Tony turned in place and asked out of the corner of his mouth. "Is that you?"

"No." The worker wiped his sweat again.

Metal clanks echoed as he walked to stare at the screen. "That's not part of your system?" Tony pointed to the picture.

Curious as to what Tony was talking about, the man dropped his hand and walked to stand beside him. His eyes went wide. "That is not us." He shook his head at the ten inch skull and crossbones that laughed as its jaw dropped and came back up.

An anxious Tony began to connect the dots. Sweat ran down his face. The bile in his stomach rose and it made him suddenly very nauseous. He clenched and unclenched his armored fists in an attempt to expend the amount of adrenaline that coursed through his body.

His heart raced, and he felt a sense of panic he had never felt before.

* * *

Their eyes shot towards the figure as the scientists all stood perplexed.

"Do we have a problem?" Rhodey's mechanical voice came through and boomed. He stood in place but looked back and forth between the men. His heart sank when he realized the two men who fought back helplessly were homeless.

"Who the hell are you?" Leonard asked angrily, the material of the man's haggard shirt still bunched in his hands.

Rhodey laughed and walked forward a few steps. "I asked you a question first."

"Come a step closer and I will kill this man." Leonard warned through gritted teeth.

Rhodey heeded the man's warning and froze in place. He physically did nothing to provoke the men, but in the suit he had Jarvis calculate their distances, open targets, and other technicalities in case he needed a quick point of attack. "What do you think I'll do then? Killing a man in front of a witness, not very smart."

Michael stood with a vice grip on his subject's arm. "Leonard, release him." He nodded as soon as his partner whipped his head around to eye him curiously. "Do it."

"Now that's smart." Rhodey crossed his armored arms. "Now let go of the other man." Rhodey spoke to Michael.

"This one's insurance." Michael smiled. "You can't hurt me without hurting him. We'll get in our van and go."

Rhodey nodded before he uncrossed his arms. The man was clever, but Rhodey had his plan formulated in his mind already. "This isn't a negotiation. Now let him go before I have to resort to other means of coercion."

The scientists all stepped back tentatively. Unsure of how the man in the suit would react to any sudden movements. All of them but Michael raised their hands in the air as a sign of surrender. His eyes stayed glued on Rhodey as he pulled on the man's arm to force him in front of him as shield.

He signaled for his men to enter the van as he walked backwards to it. The defenseless man had nothing to do but try to keep his balance as he was dragged along.

The darkened alley grew brighter in Rhodey's heads up display as he had Jarvis sharpen the night vision. He steadied himself and waited for the rest of the men to board the vehicle before he carried out his plan of attack.

"Let him go." Rhodey warned one last time.

Michael laughed. "No thank you."

His target was clear before him, and as he readied himself, his ear com buzzed to life.

"Rhodey!" Tony yelled loudly into his ear. He stood still and kept his eyes on his target. He knew the second he lost sight of the situation before him, the men would get away. So he attempted to listen to his friend and be alert. "Rhodey!"

"Tony…" He whispered cautiously. "Kinda busy, man."

Tony raced out of the building as he darted off into the sky. He pushed Jarvis to limits as he felt himself being pressed into his suit. "I don't care. Drop what you're doing!"

Sensing the urgency in his voice, Rhodey knew he had to listen to what he had to say. He eyed Michael carefully. A few more steps and he would be inside the vehicle. He had to carry out his plan. "I have a little situation on my hands, Tony."

"Rhodey!"

"What's wrong, Tony?" Michael moved a step closer to the car. Rhodey felt himself get more anxious.

"Go get Pepper!"

"What?" His level of panic increased as well. He knew Tony could over react, but he always had a justified reason. "Why? What happened?"

"Just go! It was a sham…" Tony shook his head with anger. Someone had deliberately wanted him out of reach. He couldn't be sure why, but he knew Pepper could be in danger. And his heroic nature (which he now cursed) had let him fall for the trap. "…the nuclear plant…it was a false alarm. It was a diversion."

It made sense. It was an old trick, but an ingenious one. Rhodey stiffened and remembered he had been on his way to her before he got side-tracked. He closed his eyes and cursed their luck.

Michael opened his door, but before he could step in, Rhodey stopped him. He targeted his arm, which draped across the front of the homeless man's chest, and fired a paralyzing dart. It lodged firmly and securely, sending the neutralizing agent into his blood stream. His arms dangled at his sides before he fell back, still and harmless.

It wasn't long before the engine started.

"Rhodey!" Tony shouted when he got no response.

"I'm on it Tony! I'm on my way." Tony allowed himself to relax just a little, trusting that his friend could protect the one person that mattered most in his life.

As fast as he could, Rhodey disabled the van as best he could. He fired his repulsion rays at the rear tires and watched them explode. Quickly he located the two homeless men, and with them securely in his arms, he flew off into the night sky.

**To be continued…**

**28 days 14 hours 2 think that "just yesterday" I looked at my countdown and it said in big fat numbers 149 days to go. It's been super hard staying away from the endless barrage of TV Spots they've been releasing, but I promised myself I wouldn't do that to myself anymore. After that second one where Pepper yells for Tony…ay. No more, please. So hopefully I can upload my updates like I planned from here on out. Thank you guys for your support of this story…and me! HUGS!**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Sad face. Nope.

Notes: Sorry for any mistakes! So much going on, so excited, I can't contain myself! I will be on fire this week. Look for updates! Thank you guys for all of the continuing reviews and follows. You guys are fun to chat with. Those of you who I owe a reply to...I will soon. Toodles!

* * *

Pepper lay awake in bed. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, but her mind raced at a million miles per second. She knew she needed sleep if she was to be a functioning human being in the morning, but having Tony half-way around the world, dealing with a potential nuclear crisis, had her worrying more than usual.

She sighed as she tugged at the blanket just below her chest.

For minutes she forced herself to think about everything else but Iron Man. Without much luck. It was when she finally let herself see the image of Tony sitting next to her on the sand that she managed to close her eyes and sleep.

"Ms. Potts…" She heard the programmed voice in her sleep. "Ms. Potts…"

Pepper stirred in her sleep. Nightmares plagued her as she wrapped herself tighter in the sheets.

"Ms. Potts." This time Jarvis sounded a bit more human when he raised the level of his computerized voice.

Her eyes shot open as she heard the AI bring her back from her nightmares. "Jarvis, what's the matter? Is Tony alright?" She sat up in the dark.

"Soaring high, Ms. Potts." She exhaled in relief. "I detect Colonel Rhodes is nearing the mansion in the War Machine."

Quickly Pepper stood to dress herself. A small sense of panic crept into her mind. If Tony was alright, but Rhodey was on his way at such late hour, in his suit, what was the cause?

"Did he say why he was headed over, Jarvis?" She laced up her dusty Converse before pulling one of Tony's MIT hoodies over her head.

"I'm afraid not, Ms. Potts. He has not communicated with me."

Many thoughts forced themselves into her mind as she walked down the steps and into Tony's work shop. Surely something was bothering him, or perhaps Tony. Had Tony sent Rhodey to check up on her? She was sure if that was the case she would be a little upset at Tony for bothering their friend with such a task. It would be sweet, but annoying.

Perhaps Rhodey had been sent over by SHIELD. That worried her more, because it would mean a real threat to her safety existed.

She went over every possible scenario as she entered her code and stepped into the large work space. The lights instantly came on with her presence.

"How far is he, Jarvis?" Pepper walked over to the platform where Rhodey would be rid of his suit.

"Thirty seconds."

On cue, a low roar could be heard coming from outside the exit tunnel. Soon after, a soft yellow light could be seen as the thrusters illuminated the corridor.

A surge of adrenaline surged through her body. If her friend gave her word that she was in danger, she would immediately prepare herself for battle. She smiled proudly at her brave thought. Maybe Tony really was rubbing off on her.

Rhodey walked quickly towards her as his face plate came up. "Pepper!" He breathed out loud.

"What's wrong, Rhodey?" Her eyes widened at his tone.

"Are you alright? Where's Happy? Are you alone? How are you?" He breathed all at once.

Pepper shook her head and lifted her palm up to slow him down. "I'm ok. Slow down." She pulled his arm to lead him to the platform. He stepped onto it and looked at her as the bots discarded his suit piece by piece. His eyes roamed her to make sure she was telling the truth. She felt his skeptic study of her body language. "Rhodey!" She got his attention. "I'm alright. What the hell is going on? Why are you here so late? Out of breath? In a panic?"

"Tony sent me." He looked at her and turned to see the work the bots were carrying out on him. Still amazed by their precision. When he didn't hear Pepper respond, he looked back to her. "Before you get upset, he has good reason to be worried."

She stood rooted and urged him to continue. "Why? When did you talk to him? Is he ok?"

It was Rhodey's turn to signal her need to take a breath. "He's alright. The nuclear plant was a false alarm. Someone intentionally created a panic at the plant to have him check it out. To get him out of here."

Her red hair moved on her shoulders as she shook her head in confusion. "Who did that? Why would they?"

"He thinks it was The Mandarin. To get to you. So he wouldn't be here to stop him when he showed up for you."

"That doesn't make any sense. The Mandarin has given him no reason to think he's after me. Tony's reaching."

"That man is capable of everything and anything. Tony has good reason to be alarmed. Whether they did it because of you or not, someone wanted him out of reach for a reason. And until we know for sure, he wants someone around to make sure you're safe." He stepped off the platform free to move naturally. He stopped a few feet from her. "Where's Happy? Why is your bodyguard not with you?" He rolled his eyes playfully.

She smiled through the haze of information and thoughts that hung in the air. "I sent him home, Rhodey. He has a life you know."

"Happy? Nope. I doubt it." They laughed.

"Anyway, I'm ok. The mansion is secured. I was trying to sleep before you showed up."

Rhodey nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry. I was going to stop by earlier, but I got hung up."

"Well I'm ok." She walked away and sat on the leather couch. "So is Tony keeping you here until he arrives or can you go home and sleep?"

He smiled. "Sorry. I'm on patrol until he gets here. You can go to bed, though. No need for you to stay up." He sat in Tony's chair. "Jarvis, can you let Tony know that the package is safe. I'll stay here until he's back."

"Yes, Colonel."

Her arm went numb as she slept awkwardly on the leather couch. Rhodey had insisted she go up to her bedroom, but she had argued that Tony might need her if he got back injured in some way. She wasn't aware of said arm until someone moved her. The feeling of ants crawling up and down her arm forced her eyes open.

For a moment she forgot where she was. The realization that she was being pulled towards his body made her more alert. "My arm is tingling." Why she allowed those words to be the first ones for him to hear was beyond her. Pepper chastised herself in her head.

"Hi to you, too. I like your sweater." Tony smiled broadly down at her. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry. You looked uncomfortable." He knelt down next to her.

"I think I was. My arm went numb." She smiled sleepily.

Tony nodded. "Let's get you to bed, then." He moved to take her body into his arms, but was stopped momentarily when Pepper pulled him in for a deep kiss.

"Are you ok?" Pepper breathed against his lips. He only nodded. "Am I ok?" He nodded again, this time more determined. As long as there was air in his lungs, he would protect her above everything and everyone else.

"Where's Rhodey?" He asked.

Pepper sat up slowly. "I sent him to the guest room. He was falling asleep on your chair." Tony smiled. "Why do you guys always choose to subject yourselves to such torture?"

"We're men." He shrugged. "We're masochists by nature." They chuckled softly. A moment of silence surrounded them as they sat together on the couch. "Alright, let's go." Tony spoke as he took her hand in his.

They walked together towards the elevator, their bodies in desperate need of rest. Pepper sighed and leaned her head on Tony's shoulder while they made their way up. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" She asked quietly with her eyes closed.

"In the morning." He unlaced their hands in order to wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side.

It was hours later when Tony woke up wrapped in Pepper's arms. The tinted windows kept the sun out, but he knew they had slept well into the late morning. He felt it in the headache he was currently cursing.

He could spend forever in bed with his redhead, but there was so much going on in his head, so much he needed to voice out loud to get input from those most important in his life, that he knew he couldn't.

That and he needed caffeine.

Carefully he turned in place to face the woman beside him. He lifted her arm from around his waist and took her knuckles to his lips. Immediately feeling the sensation, Pepper smiled in her sleep. He was disappointed when she didn't wake up, but he accepted the fact that she was allowing herself some much needed rest.

Tony stared at her for a couple of minutes until his phone vibrated on the nightstand. He turned slowly and grunted inwardly when he saw who the caller was. An irritated finger of his poked at the decline button, and with one last glance back at Pepper, he got up and went to freshen up.

"Morning sleepy head." Tony yawned as he headed straight to the kitchen. Rhodey grinned over the newspaper in his hands.

"Ah, this is why I keep you around." Tony sighed as he served himself the biggest mug of coffee he could find.

"Freshly brewed. I've had about three. Thought I'd make a new one for you two." He looked towards the stairs in search of Pepper. "Where is she, by the way?"

"Sleeping." He gulped the warm liquid. "I didn't want to wake her. She needs some rest." Tony pulled out a stool and sat at the island across from Rhodey.

"Good call." Rhodey commented as he went back to reading the sports section.

They enjoyed the quiet that surrounded them. It wasn't too long after that they both turned when Pepper yawned her way into the kitchen.

"Morning, Potts." Tony sipped on his coffee and eyed her over the brim of his mug.

Her only reply was a low mumble as she too served herself a steaming cup of coffee.

"It's clear you two are meant for each other." Rhodey folded the newspaper and looked at his friends. "Grumpy risers." He chuckled. "So can we go over what happened last night."

"Let me get through at least one cup, Rhodey. Please." Pepper smiled sleepily. She moved to sit right next to Tony. Rhodey smiled and nodded. "Morning, Stark." She kissed his cheek.

The three of them sat quietly in the kitchen. Rhodey browsed his iPhone. Tony stared at the coffee left in his Iron Man mug. Pepper sipped on her own coffee while she looked intently at Tony, gauging his current level of stress.

"So what exactly did happen yesterday?" Pepper broke the silence.

As much as Tony didn't want to hear Pepper's rants about him being over-protective, he knew he had to tell her what he was thinking. Even if it meant she would scream and yell for him to worry about everything else but her.

Tony sighed and finished off the last of his coffee. "I got to the nuclear plant and found it was all bells and whistles. I looked for fires, for explosions, for injured workers, but I only found alarms blaring. One of the workers led me to their housings for the nuclear rods, and he showed me the gauges. Everything was signaling for an impending disaster. But he quickly told me nothing was actually happening. The rods weren't exposed to high temperatures. The cooling water was not boiling. Nothing was leaking. He was more worried that the system could be malfunctioning. No system, no warning in the even that something actually did go wrong. I could build them a better system. I need to work on that." He paused to think to himself. Rhodey cleared his throat, letting Tony know he should continue. "Right. So I was going to evacuate their hazard zones, but not much after we saw a taunting skull. When I asked the employee whether that was part of their warning system or not, and he let me know it wasn't, I pretty much knew then. The damn skull laughed at us. At me, really. I knew someone had pulled me out there intentionally."

Pepper held her head with her elbow on the island and her palm on her cheek. A consoling hand rubbed his back. "You panicked."

Tony rolled his eyes. "You bet your pretty CEO butt I did." He nodded. "One thought entered my mind. Someone got me out here to get to Pepper. They have to know by now that you're the only thing keeping me sane." Pepper smiled tenderly and covered one of Tony's hands with hers. "I immediately wanted someone to be with you in case my suspicions were correct."

"They weren't." Pepper shrugged.

"You don't know that." He argued.

"So what are you thinking?" Rhodey chimed in.

"It has to be directly connected to The Mandarin. He's messing with my head."

"People are good at pushing your buttons." Pepper teased.

Tony rolled his eyes again. "Wrong. _I'm_ good at pushing people's buttons."

Pepper nodded. "No rebuttal here."

"So what's your plan?" Rhodey crossed his arms across his chest.

"I have an idea, but it will require me asking for a costly favor." Tony shook his head.

"From?" Pepper asked with a hint of worry.

"Sir, you have an incoming call from Director Fury." The group jumped at the sudden intrusion before Tony huffed in annoyance.

"Tell him I'm busy." Tony dismissed the call right away as he stood to pour himself more coffee.

"He says he needs to speak with you about a scientist he's recruited, sir."

Rhodey looked at Tony before he turned to look at Pepper; her brows were knitted in curiosity.

"Tell him I've beat him to whatever his plan is. Doesn't he know who I am by now?"

"Is that second part a rhetorical question sir or would you like for me to ask him?" Jarvis replied.

"No. Don't ask him. Let him know who I am." Tony grinned at Pepper.

"Maybe you should talk to him, man." Rhodey shrugged. "It sounds important."

"It can wait." Tony stood to get more coffee.

"Sir, he's hung up."

Tony's brows met his hairline in surprise. "Wow. He gave up? He's slipping." He shook his head playfully.

Just as Tony sat down and took a sip of his coffee, Rhodey's iPhone sounded. He looked up with a grin at Tony. "Dad's calling _me_, now. See what you've done?"

Face palm. Tony shook his head and groaned. "Tell him I'm not here."

"Right." Rhodey rolled his eyes. He hit the accept button on his screen and proceeded to talk to Fury. "Rhodes. Tony's not answering his phone? Why am I not surprised. Maybe he's busy. Yeah, I don't know. We had coffee together earlier. Got it. I'll let him know." He disconnected the call and looked up at the pair before him. He blew out a breath and shook his head.

Tony sighed. "What did he want?"

Rhodey looked at him and back and Pepper. "That scientist he hired. She's headed over here now."

"What?" Pepper looked up from the island countertop. "Why is she coming here?"

"He wants us to work together." Rhodey stated flatly. "He said she is a valuable asset to this mission."

"I know she is. She's my way to finding out everything I want to know about The Mandarin."

Pepper turned her head slightly to capture Tony's eyes. "Wait, you know her? Is she with SHIELD?"

Tony nodded. "I know her. She doesn't work for SHIELD directly. They're kind of…borrowing her."

"How do you know her?" Pepper asked curiously.

His mouth opened slightly as he was about to tell her, but Jarvis interrupted them, yet again. "Sir, there is a Maya Hansen at the main gate. Says she was sent by Directory Fury."

'Oh boy.' Tony thought to himself. He stared at Rhodey's shocked expression. "Maya?" Rhodey asked with wide eyes. Tony nodded.

"Am I missing something?" Pepper smiled. "Who's Maya?"

"Let her in, Jarvis." Tony turned to look at Pepper innocently.

**To be continued…**

**Just under 10 days! Lucky the ones that are watching it this week. Enjoy it for me! OBVIOUSLY stay past the credits. I'm going to be on a roll, I hope. I would have posted this earlier but I lost my flash. You guys wouldn't guess where it was. That's right, under my nose. Hooked to my tower at work. I never look at my tower since it's in the bottom in a small compartment with a door. LOL. Oops. Anyway…LONG LIVE IRON MAN! And Pepperony of course!**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Maybe if I win the lotto I can go into a partnership with Marvel, but as of right now this second…NOT mine.

AN1: So here is another chapter. I have had some free time lately, so I am taking full advantage of that. I'm so excited that my mind is just pouring out on my laptop's Word Documents. I love it. I hope you guys are still following and enjoying this story because I am still having a great time writing it. Sorry for any and all mistakes. THOSE I can claim as my own. Enjoy!

AN2: Have you guys seen the teaser for Thor? Looks good, I think. Poor Thor. I feel he might be devastated before the end of the film. Also, for those of you who went to the L.A. Premiere…WHY was I NOT there, and how was it? Other than awesome of course. If you guys want to talk and share your experience, message me!

* * *

Happy drummed the beat to Baba O'Reiley on the steering wheel of the Rolls Royce. He felt a sense of liberation as he drove up Pacific Coast Highway with all the windows down. It was a perfect California day to drive along the coastline.

Oh how he wished he could drive up the highway for a while longer. But duty called.

The black vehicle pulled up to the gate just in time to notice another car waiting at the entrance. Happy looked to his left and at the driver of the car beside him. His jaw dropped when he saw the woman in the driver's seat.

Maya turned in time to catch a glimpse of the man that drove the black luxury vehicle beside her. A small awkward smile escaped her as she spotted his wide smile.

As smooth as he could, Happy unfastened his seat belt, straightened his tie, and exited the Royce. With a determined step he walked over to the driver. He cleared his throat. "Hello Ms. …" he paused and hoped for a name.

"Hansen. Maya Hansen." Maya smiled timidly.

"Such a beautiful name, Maya." Happy straightened his tie again. "You know my mother's is Maya."

That had to be one of the worst pick-up lines she had ever heard, and she made it obvious to the man that she was not impressed. "Was it?" She rolled her eyes.

Happy stood resolute as he nodded. "You don't believe me? We can call her if you'd like." He quickly reached for his Stark Phone.

"Listen Mr. …" She waited for Happy to give her his name.

"Hogan. Harold Hogan."

"Mr. Hogan, I'm here to see Tony Stark. His butler was just about to let me in, do you think you can let me in, please."

The bodyguard's face dropped a little. "Tony?" He looked at her puzzled. "Why are you here to see Tony? You've got the best half of the duo standing right here." He tried his best to flash her one of Tony's grins. An awkward display of teeth came out instead.

Maya chuckled a bit at the exchange. "I'm sorry. That was a good try." She shook her head. "Mr. Hogan, I'm an old college friend of Tony's. Director Fury sent me."

Happy sighed in resignation. "Fury. Should have known. Well, you can follow me in, Ms. Hansen." He made to walk away, but turned around smoothly "By the way, you can call me Happy."

"Happy?" She knitted her eyebrows.

"I used to be a boxer. That was my boxing name."

Maya shook her head and smiled as he walked away to drive past the gate. A little surprised at what had just occurred, and hoping for the best once she did set foot inside Tony's home.

"Honey I'm home." Happy announced loudly as he walked through the door.

"Yo Hap, we're in the kitchen." Tony yelled across the home. Pepper stuck a finger in her ear to tease him.

"Follow me." Happy waved his hand towards Maya.

Her eyes went wide at the grandiosity of the place. The high ceilings, the open space, the beautiful three hundred sixty degree view of the pacific blue, it amazed her. She walked slowly behind Happy as she looked from side to side. She smiled when she spotted the obvious touches that were all Tony. But a small sense of loss overcame her as she caught a glimpse of a table that housed a few picture frames of Tony and who she could only assume was Pepper.

Maya shook herself mentally.

"Hey Hap, I have a bone to pick with you." Tony stood as he saw his friend walk in, fully ready to give him grief over leaving his Pepper alone, while he was away. When he saw the person behind him, he stopped in his tracks.

"I found her loitering." Happy grinned. "She said she knows you." He shrugged.

Tony cleared his throat and walked towards her. "We'll talk later." He glared at his friend before he hugged Maya. "Maya. It's good to see you again."

"You, too Tony." She smiled widely up at him when they broke the embrace.

Pepper stood and walked to stand beside Tony. Rhodey followed close beside. "Oh um, Maya, this is Pepper…uh…Virginia Potts." He wasn't too sure why he was nervous, but he was. "My girlfriend." He smiled broadly at Pepper.

"You can call me Pepper. Maya is it?" Pepper extended her hand towards the woman.

The brunette nodded. "Pepper, I heard a lot of good things about you." Maya smiled awkwardly at her.

"You did?" Pepper asked curiously, wondering when and where she had heard about her. And from whom. A million thoughts circled in her head. Too many to organize them coherently, but one that stood out was how and where she knew Tony from.

A small tense moment transpired between the group.

"Maya, wow…" Rhodey broke in and crossed between Pepper, Tony, and Maya to hug his old friend. "You look great. How long has it been?"

Pepper and Tony both looked at each other. She searched his face for answers while he dodged her silent questions. The time would come, but he wasn't sure he wanted to do it all right then and there. He had never known Pepper to be the jealous type, but he didn't want to risk it. He feared she would lunge at Maya if she knew whatever history she had with him, however brief. But deep down, Tony knew that Pepper was a different breed of woman. One that always thought rationally and carefully chose her actions based on such thoughts. That allowed him to breathe a little easier as he took her hand in his.

"Jim." She smiled warmly at him. "It's been a long while. You look good, too. In shape, for once."

"Ouch." Rhodey grabbed at his heart.

"Let's sit?" Pepper asked the group and looked up at Tony.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, yeah, this could take a while. Especially knowing Platypus here. He always was the most nostalgic of the three."

Rhodey rolled his eyes at Tony. "Funny."

Pepper and Tony led them into the living room. They each sat on a chair, except for Tony and Pepper who sat on the long leather couch.

Happy shook his head and smiled. "Alright boss, I'll be in the office if you need me."

"Thanks, Hap."

"Thank you, Happy."

Tony and Pepper spoke in unison, which caused the group to laugh.

"I was referring to Pepper, Tony." Happy turned around to walk away.

"You're fired." He teased.

"You can't fire me." Happy shouted as he left the room. "You're not my boss."

They all shared another laugh while Maya looked at Happy with a curious expression on her face. "He's an odd character." She voiced out loud.

Pepper chuckled. "That he is. I take it he introduced himself?"

"Oh yeah." Maya nodded. "Made sure I knew who he was. Strangely enough I thought he was funny."

"Oh he's a hoot." Tony shook his head while Rhodey nodded.

Pepper crossed her legs while she looked at the men and Maya. She felt the uneasy air that surrounded them, and she chose to break the ice. "So Maya, I get the feeling that you've known these two for a while."

Inside Tony was nervous about the situation, but outside he was cool and collected, finally.

Maya smiled widely at Pepper and nodded. "I went to MIT with them. Spent the longest years of my life there."

Things started to click in Pepper's head. The old friend from MIT that had lunch with Tony had to have been her. "It must have been hell. They're bad now; I can only imagine the younger versions of them." Tony nudged her with his shoulder at her jab.

The woman smiled when she saw the exchange. "No, it wasn't that bad. I'm sure I gave them as much of a hard time as they did to me." She laced her fingers together and set them on her lap. "I can hold my own against these two."

Pepper smiled. "I'm glad." She paused. "It's a real gift putting up with them."

Maya turned to look at Rhodey. "Rhodey wasn't too bad. Unless Tony conned him into doing something. Then he was just as bad riding along with his partner in crime. Tony was the mastermind of all things trouble."

The redhead nodded her head in understanding. "Oh yeah. That hasn't changed much."

"Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here." Tony pouted.

Maya laughed. "Yeah. I give you credit for putting up with his ass." Her comment made them laugh, but Pepper was surprised at how open she was.

"Thank you." Pepper smiled. "He's not too bad, most of the time." She turned to look at Tony and caught him winking at her.

"It must be a task, though. I put up with him for a few years and I was ready to pound him into the ground most days. How long have you guys been together?" She asked the pair.

Tony smiled. "That's a tough one to answer." Pepper nodded in concurrence. "Twelve years? Two years?" Pepper nodded again.

"Uh…" Maya chuckled. "You might have to explain that one to me."

Pepper adjusted her position on the couch before she recounted her and Tony's life to the woman across from her. "I worked for him for ten years before we became a couple."

"When you say it like that it makes me look like a failure." Tony scratched his head. "I tried every step of the way to make you say yes."

"What?" Pepper asked incredulously. "You did not." She laughed as she looked at him. Maya smiled at them. They truly amused her.

"Yes I did. I attempted to woo you. But you rejected my flirting. You rejected my comments. You even rejected me when I told you I needed you."

Pepper shook her head, not quite believing the words that were coming out of Tony's mouth. "Seriously?" She chuckled before she proceeded to make her case. "You called that wooing? I saw you make your way through a line-up of Maxim cover models. I wouldn't exactly call that wooing. Or flirting…perhaps you mean flirting with them. And in my defense, when you told me you needed me, I didn't know you were dying and were expressing your actual need for me to support you. I was tired of hearing you ramble so I blew it off as another one of your egotistical rants." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Whoa. You were dying?" Maya asked with wide eyes.

Tony broke his smiling gaze from Pepper to look at Maya. "Uh yeah. Long story. Different topic for another day." He swatted her question with his hand. "Thanks, Pepper." He teased her.

"I just thought I should correct you." She shrugged. "Too many hits to the head have left you delusional." She turned to look at Maya. "Anyway, we've known each other for twelve years. We've been together for about two out of those twelve."

Rhodey laughed. "Man. You really are brave. Has it been twelve years already? I don't know how you do it."

"Can it, Platypus." Tony sneered at him.

A collective sigh broke out from the group as they recovered from the moment. "So Maya, did you guys ever date?" Pepper felt the need to know. Not really to give them a hard time, but to know a side of Tony she had yet to really explore. His past was something he rarely talked about. Even to her.

Tony quickly looked at Pepper. He smiled nervously. "Uh…" He laughed. "Kind of?" He looked to Maya for clarification.

Maya shook her head. "Never dated." She eyed Tony. "Not because I didn't want to, mind you." She shook her head. "Tony was as bad then as he was before you managed to set him on the right path." She said only what she had to. Intentionally leaving out the fact that Tony had unknowingly broken her heart so many years ago.

Pepper smiled with her brows high and her eyes wide. "I see." She looked at Tony and shook her head at him.

"What?" He shrugged. "I was young." His friends' eyes rested on him as he began to feel uneasy again. "I apologize for my manliness and natural magnetism." They all shook their heads at him. "Ok…moving on."

"We'll have to get together some time, Maya." Pepper stated with finality. She would let it be for the moment, but she felt there was more to the story than was given, and she wanted to find out.

"So are you currently seeing anyone?" Rhodey changed the subject as he turned to Maya.

Maya smiled sadly. "No. I was in a long-term relationship back in Georgia, but it didn't work out. We split right before I came out here."

Rhodey reached out and took her hand in his. "Sorry, Maya. We don't have to discuss that."

It surprised her how tender Rhodey was with her. Unconsciously she squeezed his hand. "No. It's alright." She nodded. "I'll be ok. I've survived it before." She smiled softly at the group as they all nodded sympathetically. "Anyway, let's get down to business." She clasped her hands on her knees.

The room suddenly went still as they gathered their thoughts. It wasn't until Pepper got up that each of them looked up from their feet. "Would you guys like a drink?"

Tony nodded. "Yup. Good idea."

After he took everyone's requests and made them their drinks, which mostly consisted of coffee and protein shakes, they sat to discuss the topic at hand.

"Well," Maya began. "I think it's safe to tell you guys that I am working temporarily for SHIELD. They've recruited me out of my offices in Georgia to work with Gene Kahn himself."

Rhodey and Tony nodded, having guessed as much. Pepper however, sat still and took a drink of her green protein shake. She calmly looked up at them. "Is that safe?" She was genuinely concerned for the woman. How could she not be after she saw how Rhodey and Tony reacted when they thought she was in danger.

A surprised Maya appreciated the concern that came from Pepper. "Probably not, but I believe it has to be done so we can find out what his plans are and how close he is to accomplishing what he wants. Maybe this way we can keep him from that."

"It'll be fine." Tony spoke over his own green protein shake. "We'll be watching out for you. Rhodey and I." Pepper and Maya nodded at him.

"So tell me what you know so far and what this guy's been up to." Maya leaned back on the couch.

For a long while Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper proceeded to inform Maya of the happenings related with The Mandarin. She laughed at his given name, and suggested it didn't sound too intimidating. She sat and listened intently to what they all had to say. The information came at her in a jumbled mess which she was carefully able to piece together as she absorbed it. Occasional nods were shared amongst them.

Tony recounted the events that led him to meeting Kahn at his lab and the play at him with the nuclear lab. At first, the air hung heavy with seriousness. But the inevitable charm Tony possessed was unleashed halfway through the stories when he got comfortable with the situation. He stopped periodically to say something absurd or flash them one of his many facial expressions. They all laughed with him, thankful for his ability to lighten the mood despite the circumstances.

He was just about finished with his story about how he flew as fast as he could back to Malibu to make sure Pepper was safe when suddenly he paused, "By the way, why did you take so long to get to her Sour Patch? I had told you…" Tony pointed a chastising finger at his friend.

"Wait…" Rhodey interrupted whatever lecture Tony had for him. "I told you I was busy. I was sidetracked. I left SHIELD headquarters, I was on my way to the mansion when Jarvis mentioned we had trouble." He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I intentionally stopped at a frat party, man."

Pepper smiled at him. "So what was it?"

"It was all very weird. At first I thought it was just a fight in an alley. It was a few guys just wrestling each other. But when I landed I saw a very organized mob of men in hoodies, with a large van, trying to nab two men."

The group all wrinkled their foreheads.

"A few men against two men?" Pepper tried to make sense of the story.

"Yeah. And the part that bothered me the most was that the two men were homeless. They could barely stand on their own two feet, let alone fight off a mob of healthy men."

Tony scrunched his face. Thoughts formulated in his head. "Wait…" he snapped his fingers.

"What is it?" Pepper turned to look at him.

"The men were homeless?" Rhodey nodded. "And the mob of men were not just fighting with them…they wanted to…kidnap them?" Rhodey nodded again. Pepper and Maya both looked hard at Tony as they sensed pieces were slowly falling together for him. "Son of a bitch." Tony shook his head.

"What are you thinking?" Maya urged him to share.

Tony didn't talk to them. Instead he nodded and pounded his fist in his palm while he thought. "Jarvis, pull up that NTHT0503 file from my private server. Display it on the flat screen please." Everyone sat and stared at him, anxious to learn what he had discovered.

A file folder displayed on the panel, which he walked over to and touched to open. Various documents and files spilled onto it.

"Whoa." Rhodey whistled.

"This…" Tony touched a video file. "Is a little gruesome, but pay attention to it."

The video he had watched several times before played before them. Test subject after test subject on metal tables, day after day, disastrous results. It all showed on the screen. Pepper gasped as she witnessed the horrific frames come together.

"Man." Rhodey cringed at the sight.

"Look at the test subjects." Tony pointed, "They all look disheveled and malnourished, similar to someone who's…"

"Homeless." Pepper finished his sentence. Tony turned to them and nodded to her.

"Damn it." Rhodey shook his head in anger. "Someone is kidnapping homeless people to use them as lab rats!" He sighed heavily. Voices could be heard on the video as Tony forgot about it and it continued to play. Quickly, Rhodey looked up. His eyes squinted to try and see a face, but he had no luck. The voices he heard were behind the camera.

"What's up?" Tony looked at Rhodey. "What's wrong?"

Rhodey put a finger in the air to silence him. He stood up and walked towards the screen. "Jarvis, can you amplify the voices in the background? Fade the white noise out, please."

"Yes, Colonel."

Maya turned to look at Pepper from where she sat. A shrug came from Pepper as she let her know she was as lost as she was.

As Jarvis carried out the command, the voices became more recognizable and understandable. "Tony…" Rhodey and Tony faced each other simultaneously.

"Yeah?"

Rhodey smiled victoriously at him. "I recognize those voices."

"From?" Maya jumped in.

"The alley. It's the men from the alley."

* * *

Michael and his colleagues sat around the room with their heads hanging low. Each one had a file of papers neatly in front of them. Their noses buried deep in the numbers and data from past experiments.

Leonard sat at a computer as he played with formulas and variables on a spreadsheet.

No words were spoken. The air was thick with tension and disappointment. A hint of fear radiated off every man in the room. Michael especially.

His body deflated and hunched as he read and re-read information and notes. He shook his head to himself as he thought about the recent events. Failure was something that loomed above him often in the recent weeks, and it angered him to the core.

"Michael!" Kahn slammed open the door to the lab and the men jumped in their seats. The panic in their faces became suddenly very evident.

Michael sighed and stood to show his respect for his leader. "Kahn. I apologize for…"

With a slam of his fists on the nearest table he could find, he quieted the room. "I do not care for your apologies!" His eyes brimmed with rage as he leaned forward. "You failed. You have failed me!" Gene straightened himself quickly to recollect his cool. The anger was no longer noticeable in his voice, a creepy quiet eeriness was there instead. "You promised me, Michael. You promised you wouldn't fail me again." His eyes roamed the room.

The rest of the men looked down at anything but his intense stare.

"Kahn, I know. And I wouldn't have failed you this time if we had not run into some trouble." Michael ran the palm of his hand over his face to calm his nerves.

"What trouble are you speaking of?"

"Another suit." Michael cleared his throat. "There's another suit. Just like Iron Man's."

Kahn studied his employee's face. "You told me you had a plan to distract Iron Man." He walked slowly towards him.

The man took a step back, but never broke his gaze. "Y-Yes. I did. We did. He was in Japan. It was not Iron Man. This was someone else."

"Someone else?" Kahn's question dripped with mockery.

Michael nodded. "Another person. Wearing a different suit. A very…patriotic one. An American flag and everything."

"There's more than one suit?" Kahn turned to pace. His back to the men. "Iron Man has a friend." He whispered to himself. "He's been holding out on me." He turned swiftly to look at Michael. "And where did you see this new Iron Man?"

Michael shrugged as he tried to remember their location. "It was in an alley." Kahn flashed him a warning look. "But I can find out for you."

"See that you do." He paused with a nod. "Oh and Michael, get me everything you can on Tony Stark. I want to know where he lives, where he eats, where he likes to swim, who he drinks with…even where he likes to buy his clothes. Give me everything you know about him. After you do that, I want you to get me that second Iron Man suit." Michael's eyes widened. "If that's too difficult of a task for you, I can and will replace you." Gene made a point to clasp his hands behind his back as he turned to walk out of the room. The men held their breaths when he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, I thought I should inform you all that we have a new scientist coming in. I expect you to be professional and respectful. She's taking first chair on this case."

He saw no reaction as he walked out and left the men to themselves.

Their eyes ran wild as they stared at each other. Michael huffed before he took a firm grasp of the clipboard beside him and launched it across the room. "Damn it!"

"What the hell just happened?" Leonard gritted through his teeth. "A woman? First chair?"

John, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke under his breath. "You're a smart man, Leonard. But speaking like that makes you sound like an idiot. If Kahn believes she's worthy of being first chair, then she's worthy of leading us." He shook his head at his partner and friend.

Michael slammed his palms on the table. "Shut up, John! I am leading you. I will do everything in my power to make sure Kahn sees that I am the only one worthy of leading this experiment. Everything."

* * *

Tony grinned at Rhodey as he clapped the man on the shoulder. "Alright, Platypus! We have something to go off of. I want to find out who these men are. Where they work, if not at Truezdail, then where? I want names and faces. I need addresses, just in case we need to pay them a personal visit. And I need to know what Kahn wants to get out of this. It has to be more than just a serum."

Rhodey nodded. "I think we have our key to getting all of that in this room."

They all looked at Maya, who shrugged and smiled. "When do I start?"

Pepper sat and observed the trio. A small twinge of jealousy ran through her as she saw the exchange between the three of them. There was no way that Tony would let her help him, especially not by being so close to the man that was trying to bring him down.

Tony walked over to sit next to Pepper on the arm of the couch. "When were you requested to start? We need to keep this as close to the original plan as possible."

Maya stood. "Kahn expects me in sometime this week. I can start as soon as I want."

"We should get some solid surveillance. Some wires taps. Before you start." Rhodey crossed his arms.

"No." Tony shook his head as he looked at the floor. "No. Report in as planned. Go in clean. Get me everything you can on what they already have. Location of indoor cameras. Angles. Security screenings. Clearance codes. The works. After we have that, I'll get a program going with Jarvis to access the feeds remotely. Once we're sure you won't be searched, we'll wire you. My way." He grinned at her.

"What's your way?" She looked at him worriedly.

"The right way." He stated arrogantly.

Maya chuckled while Rhodey looked at them and nodded. "This will work."

"It has to." Tony nodded before he looked down at Pepper. From here on out, he would stop at nothing to protect his reason for living.

**To be continued…**

**Ok, so first off, let me know what you expect out of the whole Maya and Pepper thing. Hehehe. I'm curious. I already have my opinion. I just want to see what you guys feel should and would happen in this world between them. Second of all, you lucky ones that have already seen the film, I want to envy you so bad right now. I'm dying. Six days, fourteen hours , and some minutes for me still. UGH. I'm ready though. I have my posse, my t-shirt, and my Robert Downey Jr-ish high tops. Special thanks to StarksViolet and NCISVILLE for keeping me sane with our chats and fangirl moments. Hehe. THANKS! Expect more from me in the next few days, guys. Sorry for the ramble. Shipperony-OUT.**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Nope. But I do own some pretty awesome Iron Man T-shirts.

AN: Ok, I think I mentioned this before, I did not have the fortune of growing up with the comics, so most of my storylines are based on my imagination. I do not know the real story behind Tony and Maya (I know the basics). So for the sake of my story, I created my own history for them. Just in case you were expecting to read something truthful and accurate. I don't know why you would...the imagination is always better than that stuff. *wink* Enjoy!

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as they walked along the shore. Hand in hand they watched their bare feet sink into the moist sand below. Their footprints faded as the waves washed over them.

Quietly they strode in one direction. It was only when they neared the next stretch a private coastline that they turned around to head back home.

Tony huffed, his gaze focused on their path. "Our footprints are gone." His comment was stated as a mere fact. No real emotion presented itself in his words.

Pepper nodded as she moved her eyes from the waves to the sand. "But not completely." She sounded hopeful.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that." He shrugged.

Pepper looked to her side to observe her boyfriend's features. "What do you mean?"

"They were once evidence of something I left behind. An accomplishment. A journey."

She furrowed her eyebrows as she listened to him speak.

"And now they're gone. Whatever I left behind is no longer there for others to see. Or to follow in my path."

A sad smile surfaced on her face. "They're not entirely gone." She pointed with her free hand. "There's traces. Indentations of where you were."

"Then there's that." He shook his head with a small smile. Her inquisitive look urged him to continue. "Well if they are there, however small the evidence, what if it's all of the crime?"

She resisted any smart comments at his deep questions, but let a small laugh out. "You're very pensive today, Mr. Stark."

Tony nodded somberly. "What if all I leave behind in this world is the stuff I've tried so hard to overshadow?" He turned, urgently asking Pepper for her opinion, her assurance.

She stopped them in their tracks. Her arms moved to drape around his neck. "Tony, you have done more good than anyone I know. Your heart is in the right place, and it is because of that that you were able to build Iron Man. It's because of that that you have been able to help so many people…the world. What you may have started off as…what you were unknowingly a part of…doesn't matter any except in how it helped shape you." Pepper fought hard against the growing pool of tears, but a few lonely tears escaped the corners of her eyes. Her heart ached seeing Tony so doubtful of the man he had become. Of the noble things he had accomplish. And most of all, of the legacy he would leave behind some day.

His heart thumped hard within him. Knowing she had so much faith in him only helped to motivate him more. As hard as he tried, he could not ignore the elation within him that rose with her words. There was so much he still wanted to say to her about what he felt in his heart, especially given the moment of sincerity between them, but he held back for no particular reason.

Sensing his inner struggle, Pepper decided to end that conversation. She felt the sand sink beneath her toes as she reached to place a long kiss on his lips. His hands quickly wrapped around her as he pulled her closer. Their lips on fire from the hunger they felt for each other.

Out of breath and with a wide smile, she nodded proudly, having been able to make him forget the turmoil in his mind.

"So…" she turned to walk away, leaving him, like so many times before, frozen in place. Pepper looked back with a grin, and signaled with her hand for him to follow. Tony was able to break the trance as he quickly caught up to her side. He shook his head at her. "Speaking of journeys and roads taken…" the look on his face as he looked up at her let her know he sensed where the discussion was headed. "Maya seems like a nice person." Her smiled widened as she looked at him.

Tony nodded. "She is." He shrugged. "She always has been."

Pepper took his hand in hers and weaved her fingers with his as she eyed him curiously. "There's a story there, somewhere." She grinned.

He chuckled at her and sighed. "Not really. Well, maybe a small one." He shook his head. "I don't know."

"It's not that hard, Tony. Either there's a story or there isn't." She turned her head to look out at the ocean. "Which one is it?"

Knowing that the curiosity Pepper possessed would allow her to continue her questioning, he chose to let her in on a tiny part of his past. "She was...and I don't mean to sound arrogant at all, smitten."

Pepper rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"I'm only stating the truth…" she smiled at his words. "Do you want to hear this or not, Potts?"

"Alright, I apologize. Please continue."

"Anyway, she was always a person I liked to spend time with. One of the only ones I could stand to be around. My parents had just passed and she filled a void that I thought no one ever would." He shrugged. "I liked the company, and our conversations were never boring. We talked about our experiments, our goals, what we thought we would have accomplished by the time we turned thirty. Every time we talked, it was like I was talking to my equal, something I hardly experienced until very recently." He paused to smile at his redhead before he squeezed her hand. Her small smile sent shockwaves straight to his heart. "She mirrored my aspirations, and eventually even my traits."

"Oh no." Pepper shook her head sadly in a teasing manner.

"You might think of it as a bad thing, but I'm quite proud of how she learned to handle herself in certain situations. My sarcasm and witty remarks eventually soaked in and she was a walking female rendition of me."

"I was right…oh no." She laughed.

Tony shook his head and stared her down. "The boys were all very aware of her ability to make them fall at her feet, and of how she could detach herself completely from them. In a way, it made her more appealing. Much like myself." He added the last comment to tease her, which earned him a playful slap at his chest. "So everyone was in love with her, but she never showed any real interest. And the one person she was interested in never showed any real interest in her." A sad smile etched itself across his face.

"Were you that person?" Pepper asked knowing what his answer would be.

He nodded. "Yeah. But it wasn't because I was a jerk, or because I didn't like her." He lifted and dropped his shoulders. "I was only a kid. I had lost the two most important people in my life. However much absent they could be from it. I was afraid to get too close. I kept myself at a distance, worried that when and if I ever lost that connection, I would die. I didn't think I could survive another thing like that."

The sadness she felt inside overwhelmed her as she once again fought the tears. This time though, she succeeded, only letting a hint of sadness to rise to the surface in her smile. Her need to console and support him allowed her to stay strong. "I can only imagine how you felt. It must have been difficult."

Pepper reached across her to rub his chest with her free hand in a loving gesture. Tony looked down at her motions and smiled up at her.

A small nod escaped him. "So…" he continued. "Maya tried her best to make me see her. Not in a desperate way. She made an effort around me, flirted, said all the right things, tried to pull me out of my shell. But…" he cringed at what he was formulating to say next. "I guess I only took what I needed. Her attention, her devotion, her comfort."

"You mean…" Pepper looked at him questioningly.

"No…no. I mean we could have, and she would have, but I wasn't crossing that line with her." He chuckled. "She probably hates me now that I think about it. I led her on. We would go out, we would…make out, and we even slept in the same bed a lot, but I never let it go any further. She was actually one of the only girls I wanted to keep as a friend. I knew doing more and then pretending like nothing happened would ruin that."

"How long did this go on?" Pepper spoke.

"Um, all through college." He smiled with a sense of guilt. "Until I decided to leave and come to Los Angeles. To take over as the CEO of Stark Industries." Tony sighed. "She was devastated when I told her I was coming out here. She accused me of abandoning her. I told her she would be fine, that she was strong, that she didn't need me. That someday someone who deserved her would make her happy." He chuckled. "She threw a very heavy microbiology book at me when I said that. Told me that she was happy."

"Wow." Pepper absorbed his story and tried to process it all.

"Yeah…" he cleared his throat. "Like I said, we were kids."

"Dramatic." She teased.

"Oh that's nothing. A few days later she came to at night and took me to the roof of my apartment building. Gave me a speech about choosing the roads that had yet to be taken. Spoke of destiny. I laughed through most of it while she got progressively annoyed with me. It was very amusing until she gave me an ultimatum of sorts."

"Oh?" She tilted her head in curiosity.

"Maya got a call from one of the directors from the CDC, offered her a position as a head researcher at their headquarters in Atlanta."

Pepper nodded.

Tony sighed. "She asked me if she had a reason not to go." He looked down at their moving feet. "I told her no. I insisted she follow her goals, and listen to all the reasons that told her to go. That her road _was _the one that led to her taking the job." He looked up and out at the waves past Pepper. The feeling she was looking deep into him made him focus on her. "So she left. I didn't fight for her. And I never saw her again. Until we had lunch."

"The MIT friend was her." Pepper nodded to herself.

"Yeah. She sent me a random message. Told me she was going to be working out here for some time. I wanted to make sure she was doing alright, but a very big part of me wanted to find out what she was working on. I had a feeling I knew, but I wanted to be certain." He stared long at Pepper. "Does that make me a bad person? Am I using her…again?"

Pepper thought long and hard. She knew her answer had to be as close to the truth as she could deliver, but she also wanted to lessen the burden he carried. She stopped them again, forcing their bodies to face each other. "Do you feel like you are using her?"

He shrugged.

She decided to help him answer his questions. "You're not a bad person, Tony. You were genuinely concerned, and wanted to see how and old friend was doing. The rest was just you in need of finding answers. To resolve this mess we're all in." He nodded at her before she kissed his cheek. "Just promise you won't lead her on this time." Pepper poked his ribs softly, and laughed.

"I promise." He held his palm up in the air. "I swear. All there is between us is a deep admiration. As colleagues and intellectual equals. Nothing more." He chuckled.

They shared a tender kiss before they proceeded to walk. The wind blew around them, and the waves began to crash loudly, but that was the only sound they heard.

It wasn't until a few long and quiet minutes passed that Tony spoke up. "You know, things are starting to make sense. Despite the circumstances that I…we are currently in."

"What do you mean?" Pepper knitted her brows.

Tony smiled lovingly at her. "My road was always the one that led to you. I was born to protect you. To fight for you." The earnestness of his words sent shivers down his spine. Because they were powerful. Because they were true. Because he meant them.

Her heart fluttered with something she had never really felt before. Longing, relief, perhaps even pride. But most of all, she knew she loved him. The fact that she felt safe, and sure that he no matter what, he would catch her if she fell, was just a very fortunately added bonus. A gift from a higher being, maybe. And there was no doubt in her mind that she would do the same for him.

It took her a long while to recover from the depth of the situation, but even then she could not gather her thoughts enough to form words. She was speechless. So Pepper Potts did the only thing she knew would assist her with reciprocating what she felt to the man before her.

She pulled him, almost roughly, by the collar of his t-shirt. She could have been gentle about it, he would have followed willingly, but her need to kiss him forced her to act passionately.

His eyes widened as he felt himself crash into her. It wasn't until his lips descended fully over hers that he allowed his lids to close and simply drown in her. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her, carefully positioning them where he wanted them the most. A hand held her close, firmly planted in the middle of her back. The other tangled itself in the loose strands of her red hair.

They moaned together. Raw passion swirled around them as they tasted not only each other, but the saltiness of the breeze that encircled them.

Pepper wound her arms tightly around his neck. No amount of space between them was acceptable to her, so he molded to herself as much as she was allowed.

A guttural moan of frustration could be heard coming from her as Tony nibbled on her bottom lip, just before he pulled away. He grinned and pulled on her hand in order to rush back to the house. His feet dug deep into the sand in a sudden stop when Pepper wouldn't budge.

She laughed softly when he faced her with a look of desperation and need. But she didn't care; in fact, she pulled on his hand to move him back towards her.

"No, no, no, we're going the wrong way." He chuckled as he pecked at her lips. Her laughter against his lips caused him to smile, truly content with the woman in his arms. He hugged her close and picked her up.

Pepper giggled as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt as light as a feather with everything that Tony was doing to her. And when he moved to kiss her neck, she craned her head back to grant him the access.

The waves grew louder in her ears, and when she was coherent enough to know what was going on, it was too late. Tony walked them straight into the cool water. A loud yelp escaped her, and he could not help but laugh out loud.

"Tony!" She squirmed in his embrace, but it did her no good. He was in chest-deep by the time she could open her eyes. The chill of the ocean ran up and down her body as she pushed at his chest. "I can't believe you, Stark!"

"You should have followed me back to the mansion, Potts." He shrugged in between roars of laughter. Feeling his grip on her loosen, he refocused his energy into keeping her in his arms. "You're not going anywhere. Stop fidgeting."

"It's freezing!" She groaned.

Tony flashed her his playboy smile just then. His arms tightening around her waist. "I can assist you with that, you know." His words captured her attention. She stopped wriggling in his arms, and locked eyes with him.

"You think?" She asked teasingly about whether he believed he was up to the task or not.

He nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah." It was then that he pulled her in as he leaned towards her lips.

Their feet shuffled as they struggled for balance when a bigger wave pushed onto them. But nothing, not even Poseidon himself, could separate the pair. Never breaking their ardent kiss, Tony anchored them to the floor. A victorious smile broke out against her lips.

Pepper was not a fan of salt. Never had been, but there was something to be said about how it made her feel at the moment. Its strong taste, mixed with something that was uniquely Tony, sent a rush of adrenaline and excitement throughout her body. Something she could not seem to get enough of.

So she made her move.

**To be continued…**

**Muahahahaha. I'm sorry, but I felt the need to leave you hanging. Only because I think the next half of this is too much to handle all at once. Hehehe. Stay tuned!**

**P.S. less than 9 hours! Right after work, I am heading to the theater, lining up to get a great seat, chatting it up with my crew…and other fans, while I wait for this movie to be my undoing. I have a feeling I'm going to love it! And I won't be able to get enough of it. Should I break my record? I watched The Avengers 7 times on the big screens. Should I go for 8 with Iron Man 3? We shall see. Ah! To all of my fellow peeps watching it today…ENJOY it! I will be thinking about you guys while I watch it! **


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Nope.

AN: Wow, it seems like forever that I updated! I apologize for the hiatus. It was a very much needed one. Anyways, here is the next chapter. I promised some fluff to some of you, and here it is. Enjoy!

AN2: I am trying to catch up on your guys' reviews, please bare with me, and KNOW that I completely appreciate you guys taking the time to let me know what you guys think.

**Warning: This chapter is intended for mature audiences only. If you are under age or sensitive to sexual situations, turn back and come back for the next chapter.**

* * *

She needed to be as close to him as possible.

Excited and full of anticipation, Pepper wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Her only goal was to entice him, so she moved to rest where she could feel him the most. Never parting from his lips, she caressed from his chest down to his beltline.

With a small whimper Tony jumped at the contact. The sudden movement sent them off balance, and he struggled for control against the waves. He pulled away reluctantly from her lips and swung his arms out underwater to balance them.

He groaned. "Not here." He managed to stop shuffling his feet.

"Oh?" Pepper questioned through half-closed lids and a full grin in place.

Tony nodded before he smiled lovingly at her. "I'd like to take my time, if you don't mind."

After a small chuckle escaped her, Pepper hugged him. Carefully she unwound her legs to stand before him in the water. Without saying a word, she laced her fingers with his under the salty waves and headed up the path that led them towards the mansion.

Unfortunately, the walk back to the mansion had seemed much longer than they remembered. Fortunately, they didn't mind it much since they took their time pulling on each other to land sloppy kisses on lips and necks.

When they finally walked into their bedroom, wet, sandy, and aroused, they could no longer stand the space between them. Kisses were broken only long enough to remove articles of clothing, and to look down with caution at the various obstacles that lay between them and the shower.

"Jarvis, secure the mansion, please." He spoke against her lips.

"Yes, sir. Should I turn on the water to the normal settings, sir?"

Tony nodded. "Yup. And lower the lights, please."

"Done, sir."

"Alright. Now go away, J." Pepper laughed at his command.

He held on to her hand as he walked back towards the shower. His eyes never parted from hers.

A slight shiver shook her body as she felt the spray of the warm water on her cold skin. Noticing her reaction, Tony turned them so he could shield her with his body. Quickly he enveloped her in his arms, holding tightly onto her, and allowing himself the time to sigh against her body.

Pepper sighed as well. She held on to him as her long slender fingers hid in the smooth strands of his damp hair. The sound of his breathing soothed her, and she closed her eyes to engrave the moment in the deepest part of her mind. Times like these were rare between them, especially with the way their current schedules were mapped out in life. So she made sure to savor the feelings, the sounds, and the scents that surrounded them.

Tony loosened his hold on her, but only enough to allow him a full view of her glorious body. He smiled as he witnessed the blush that crept up on her face. His fingers traveled down her back, sliding fluidly with the ease of the water. He caressed her hips before he pulled her closer.

She had little control left, but Pepper breathed in slowly to steady herself. Once again, her eyes drifted shut. A sudden fear of falling overcame her, and she used him as her support. Her hands cupped his shoulders before they moved to knead the back of his neck.

Immediately Tony reacted. His heart beat faster as he too allowed his hands to move into her hair, suddenly stopping at the nape of her neck.

A cloud of steam floated around them as their eyes locked. For a few moments they simply stared. His eyes darkened with wanton need. The desire to be a part of her seeped from his head down to his toes.

Pepper smiled as she bit her lip. She knew what he felt. She knew what he wanted. She knew what he needed. Because they were no different. Their love, and their physical cravings for each other had not gone away, nor had they changed. The electricity between them was as strong now, as it had been the first time they had been intimate.

They smiled simultaneously in complete understanding.

Tony stepped back and let the water cascade down on him. He exhaled as he cleared the water from his eyes with one hand. Never letting go of Pepper with the other.

She gracefully moved to kiss him when she could hold back no longer.

A low moan escaped him as his mouth eagerly sought her mouth. He quickly enveloped her in his arms as his lips danced over hers.

The water trickled down their faces as they continued to explore hungrily with their mouths.

The taste of salt and fresh water mingled between them. Their fingers tangled in each other's hair, and their bodies burned with passion.

Pepper's delicate fingers abandoned the haven of his dark hair, and instead slid over his chest. She stopped to massage the tense muscles before she continued down to his abdominals. Immediately she grinned when she traced his defined stomach.

Tony whimpered into their kiss at her touch. His body responding in every way possible to her ministrations. He continued to kiss her senseless, but he felt his knees were on the verge of buckling beneath him.

Slowly, with his lips glued to hers, he reached above them to tap the shower head. The water no longer fell where they stood, but instead began to drop down over a large sitting area on an opposite wall. Carefully Tony maneuvered them across, never breaking their kiss.

He moved to sit her, but quickly Pepper broke their kiss and spun them around.

Their breathing was labored, and their eyes were clouded over, but Pepper showed resolve when she determinedly pushed on his shoulders to sit him down instead. Smiles appeared on both of their faces.

As the warm water rained over them, Pepper leaned down to kiss her man firmly. His hands held onto her at her waist. Her palms framed his face. Their lips moved in sync.

Tony allowed himself to get lost in her kiss, closing himself off to anything but the feeling of her lips on his. Consequently he never saw it coming when he felt her fingers on him.

He inhaled sharply through their kiss, and a low guttural moan resounded around them. Pepper smiled victoriously before she pulled back to look at his expression. His eyes were tightly closed, and on his face was a look of pure ecstasy.

She continued to watch him as she moved her hand in a steady rhythm. Her own breathing matched his in a matter of minutes. A slow heat surfaced on her cheeks despite the water that still fell over both of them. Pepper slowly exhaled when she felt her desire for him.

Tony groaned before he shifted uncomfortably in his place. The threat of an ending then and there loomed over him, and he attempted to stall it as long as he could. He found that with every passing second, that task became increasingly difficult. After a few breaths he finally managed to open his eyes.

He looked up and was met with a flushed Pepper. Slowly he moved his hands from where he griped the edge of where he sat, and gently kneaded her hips. He gathered enough strength, and in a deep voice he spoke to her, "Pepper, baby, if you don't stop, I don't know how much longer my plan will hold up." He smiled his best smile up at her. When he saw her eyebrows furrow, he chuckled through the pleasure. "I want to take my time…remember?"

Pepper stood before him with the smallest of grins in place. With a casual nod she removed her hands from him and instead cupped his face to kiss him deeply. Happy that Tony was currently busy kissing her, she moved swiftly to straddle him.

Anthony Stark was never known to be a man who possessed insane amounts of will power, but much to his own surprise, he managed not to damn his plan to hell when he felt her on his lap.

He thanked his lucky stars for her. Prayed to the heavens that this could last forever.

Quickly he moved his hands to hold her face to his. He kissed her passionately while he felt her move to steady herself against him.

Pepper used her palms against his shoulders to assist her with the only thing she had in mind now. The aching within turned into a fire that could be felt radiating all over her body. She changed the intensity of their kiss. Kissing him softly and gently, as she slowly accepted him.

Immediately, their kiss broke as they both sighed at their connection. Tony bit his bottom lip as he hid in the nook of her neck. Pepper hugged him tightly against her body while she dropped her head onto his shoulder. Water ran down their faces, and they both closed their eyes to fully grasp the moment.

It took all of forty-seven seconds for Tony to show her any sign of life. A low moan passed through his lips and onto her neck, sending shivers down her entire body. He laughed at her reaction, but neither uttered a word.

Tony needed her to move, and he was about to initiate the first thrust when Pepper assertively took control of their position. It was not long before she brought his lips to hers and began to move over him. With her hands solidly glued to the marble wall behind him, she moved with him, closer to the paradise she knew they were both capable of creating.

Pepper moved rhythmically along with Tony. He matched her every move, but he never once attempted to overpower her to take control. He moaned against her breast when he felt her muscles around him. Not letting his hands sit idle, he caressed every inch of her he could reach.

Tony kissed every inch of her that he could get his lips on while she continued to move. She wanted to be as connected to him as possible. Pepper moved her hands from the wall, and moved his lips away from her so she could look at him. Slowly he opened his eyes to focus on her. She smiled down at him as she continued to move. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him. So she wiped at the water that ran down his face, and immediately ducked her face to meet his lips in a fierce dueling of mouths.

"I love you." He struggled to whisper through their kiss, and the overwhelming pleasure she was giving him with the way she was currently rocking her hips.

"I love you." She spoke in between kisses.

Finally, when he couldn't take it much longer, Tony wrapped her in his arms. And with his head over her heart, and her head thrown back in bliss, he moved deeper as she kept their rhythm.

The steam continued to swirl around them as they built up energy within each other.

"Pepper…" Tony grunted through gritted teeth as he held onto her.

Pepper moaned at the sound of her name coming from his lips. She let her fingers once again travel to his hair. "Tony…"

They continued to move each other closer to the edge. Completely entangled, and connected in every way two human beings could possibly be connected. Finally, with the sound of simultaneous sighs of pleasure, they both fell over that edge together.

Tony threw his head back against the marble wall and allowed the water to wash over his face as he steadied his breathing.

Pepper struggled to even her breathing as she let her head fall on his shoulder.

Moments passed without a single word to break their blissful afterglow. If they could stay that way forever, they would, and Tony was prepared to do so until he felt Pepper stir.

"Don't…" Tony breathed. Almost pleading for her to stay with him.

She laughed softly as she lifted her head to look at him. "I'd love to stay, but I'm getting a cramp in my leg."

Tony laughed with her. "Oh." He opened his eyes to gaze up at her. "I can help with that."

"You can help with a lot of things lately." She jabbed a playful finger at his chest.

He nodded. "Jarvis…" He looked deeply at her.

"Am I allowed to break silence, sir?" The AI teased.

"Shut the water off, please. And no, you are not allowed to interrupt any silence, or lack thereof, for at least the next five hours." Tony moved to grip Pepper's legs.

"Tony…" Pepper began in protest. "Did you forget the steps to having a successful shower?" She squealed as he stood, his hands securely holding onto her. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. "Rinse, lather, repeat." She continued when he didn't answer her.

"That's right." He grinned as he nuzzled her neck. "I knew we forgot something." He spoke against her skin.

A low moan escaped her before she spoke. "So why are we walking _away_ from the shower?"

"We'll be back." Tony answered before he moved from the left spot on her neck to the right.

* * *

The evening had fallen upon them. Their room was darkened with the absent light from the sun.

When he looked up from where he nipped on her neck, he smiled. In his arms, he had the most amazing woman he had ever had the fortune of meeting. Her skin glistened with the undisturbed drops of water from their "shower". In his path, lay no one or anything that could impede him from getting them to their foreseeable happiness. And from outside he heard nothing but the waves and the waking sounds of the night.

He was content, and not even looming threats could change that at that exact moment in time.

Pepper sighed as she took her turn at kissing his neck. Paying special attention to the spot where his jaw and ear met. She smiled when she heard a low groan escape Tony.

When his shins met the softness of their covers, he stopped moving and pulled back to force Pepper's eyes to him. "You know you're mine forever, right?" Tony asked with a soft smile.

Pepper nodded. "Like I'd go anywhere." She smiled back.

"Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." He kissed her softly while he carefully perched his knee on the mattress behind her. "Because I'm in too deep to ever let go of you." He finished as he moved forward to place her in the center of their bed.

His words warmed her completely. Never in her wildest dreams, would Pepper Potts have pegged Anthony Stark for a romantic, attentive, and attached lover…boyfriend…but he was. And he had proven it every day since the Stark Expo, but it never seized to amaze her when he spoke to her in such tone, and with those words.

"I don't want you to let go. Never." Pepper whispered as he moved to cover her body with his.

Tony nodded before he began to worship her body like the goddess he saw she was. His lips began the journey his hands soon followed. He kissed the sensitive spots in her neck first. Making sure to suck harder on her pulse points. With his weight secure on one elbow, he used his free hand to smooth her damp hair away from her face. He moved to cup her face while he softly let his lips trail her cheek, her forehead, and the corners of her mouth.

Pepper sighed as she arched her back in an attempt to get closer to him. Her fingers traced down his sides. Moving to caress his obliques while he continued to light a fire path on her skin.

Fighting the urge to groan loudly from her touches, he moved to nip lightly at her shoulder to muffle any sound that could escape him. Once he recovered enough, he moved towards one of his favorite Pepper attributes: her chest. She was natural. She was beautiful. And she was perfect. Slowly he moved his body to get better access. He kissed her skin softly before he gently nipped at it, eliciting a small moan from her lips.

Slowly he adorned her entire body with his mouth. Placing small kisses over the curves of her hips. Running his closed lips over the flat expanse of her stomach. Lightly tracing the spot under her belly button with his tongue. Tony left no trace of skin untouched.

She could stand it no longer. The way he touched her sent chills down her spine, and ignited a fire inside her that only he could control.

"Tony…" Pepper half-whispered as she dropped her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes.

He knew what she was trying to convey, so he ended his journeying with a final kiss to the inside of her thigh before he moved up over her.

Time could stand still, or move forward an eternity, but neither cared to keep track as they stared at each other. It wasn't until Tony, perched on one elbow, cupped her face and traced her cheek with his thumb that they were fully aware of how long they had been staring at each other.

Pepper smiled lovingly up at him, using both hands expertly, she ran her fingers up his back to hide them in his hair.

"You like my hair, Potts." It was not a question, but rather a statement that came from his grinning mouth.

She nodded. "Among other things of yours." Pepper replied with her own grin as she caressed his scalp.

Tony shook his head slowly and smiled down at her. "You're amazing."

With a light blush on her cheeks she laughed softly before she reached up to kiss him.

He didn't wait long after that to position himself. He moved his head down to kiss her neck, and slowly he made them one once again.

His hands alternated between caressing her and pulling her closer as he moved over her.

Pepper matched him while she used her hands to roam his back. Her quick breathing, and low moans signaled she was close.

"Pep…Pepper..." Tony uttered in between breaths. He kissed her earlobe lightly before he moved one arm under to wrap around her back. He breathed hard as he continued to move, and with his free arm he pushed against the mattress to lift them both up.

Pepper instinctively draped her legs on either side of his hips. And as he rocked back to rest on the back of his heels, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He shut his eyes, and bit his lip as he struggled for oxygen, but he continued to move within her. They wished it could go on forever, but they were both very close. He held her close with his arm around her back. And when he knew they were both there, his head fell forward onto her shoulder.

Their moans echoed in the darkened room.

They collapsed together in bed in a heap of tangled limbs and sheets. Their bodies so close to each other, breathing together as they recovered.

Tony opened his eyes and looked at his redhead. They shared a long soft kiss before they dozed off.

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning as they laid showered, close together, in a deep sleep.

The room was still, and nothing could be heard except Tony's soft snoring, and Pepper's even breathing. At least that was true until suddenly Tony's sleeping sounds were replaced with labored breathing and panting.

His arms tightened unconsciously around her in his sleep.

"Ms. Potts…" Jarvis' voice cut through the silence.

Pepper jolted in bed as she heard his voice and felt constricted. "Jarvis?" She attempted to turn and look at Tony, but his grip was too strong. "Tony?" She called to him.

A soft groan accompanied his erratic breathing, and he again tightened his hold on Pepper.

"Ms. Potts, his pulse has jumped drastically, I'm afraid if he does not wake up soon he will either hyperventilate or go into cardiac arrest." Jarvis spoke.

Her eyes widened at his words. "Tony!" Pepper squirmed in his arms. "Wake up. You're hurting me, honey." She managed to move enough to face him, but he still had her locked in his arms.

"Pep!" He yelled in his sleep. "Not her. Not her!" He cried.

"Tony!" She wriggled until she freed an arm. "Wake up!"

"Pepper!"

She closed her eyes remorsefully and reached back.

Her fist connected squarely with his jaw with a loud crack.

Immediately, Tony came to and jumped out of bed, letting go of his vice grip on Pepper.

"What the…" he looked around for the assailant as he stood in a fighting stance.

"I'm sorry. Honey, I'm sorry." Pepper kneeled on the bed as she switched the lights on.

"Pepper?" Tony looked around perplexed as he rubbed his jaw. "Baby…" he looked around again. "Did you just?"

She nodded apologetically. "I did. You were having a nightmare." She moved her hair out of her face.

That's when he saw the marks on one of her arms. "Did I do that?" He moved closer to her to inspect the hand-shaped bruise. Pepper nodded.

"Don't worry about it." She rubbed it haphazardly. "You didn't mean to."

"I'm so sorry, baby." He shook his head while he rubbed a palm over his face. "I'll go sleep downstairs."

With a dejected look on his face he turned to walk away. But before he could get very far, Pepper reached out and pulled his wrist towards her.

"Tony." She looked up from their hands. "Stay. Tell me what you were dreaming."

He sighed deeply before he looked out their full-view window with a blank stare. "Maybe later, Pep."

They sat together at the edge of the bed as they both recovered from what had just happened.

Pepper- worried about the man that sat beside her. She wondered if maybe Tony had been through too much too soon to handle another major battle in his life. Tony- upset that he could hurt the one person he was meant to save. And afraid that his nightmare might have been nothing short of a premonition.

**To be continued…**

**I apologize for starting you guys off on a high and then just totally killing your buzz. I heard once from a very talented man, Chris Carter, that your audience should never get too comfortable. That the only way to make sure they enjoyed the twists and turns is to have them think everything was fine and then pull the carpet out from under their feet. I hope you enjoyed it. ;-) I am working on the next chapter right now. Toodles!**


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